His Masterpiece
by rainbowsoldier
Summary: "You will know, James. It will be breathtaking. Everyone considers something else a masterpiece. Everybody has their own." James Barnes was never interested in art. And then it happened. He felt as if something hit him in the head. Maybe it actually happened, Bucky wasn't sure. But he knew that he found his masterpiece. Ms. Abbott was right, because Steve Rogers was breathtaking.
1. Mr Golden Hair

**I would like to dedicate this story to Maria - my writing buddy, friend, who gave me the courage to write this story - and Anna - I have no idea if I ever show this story to you, but thank you for showing me how amazing MCU and Stucky are.**

 **This is my first time writing in English. I'm not a native speaker and I'm not a pro so please, try to be lenient.**

 **His Masterpiece is Stucky AU, none of the things from MCU actually happened here.**

James Barnes was never interested in art. Okay, maybe it wasn't entirely true. He was the pianist, he enjoyed classical music and it was art. But he didn't know a shit about paintings, monuments, poems. Of course, he wasn't blind. He thought some of the paintings were really nice, especially these depicting landscapes, but if anyone ever asked him about who painted it or what title was, he wouldn't know the answer. Hell, he almost failed art classes in high school. If he wasn't such a charming young gentleman, Ms. Abbott probably wouldn't hesitate and he would become this kid that failed art class. It would be such a humiliation. But he was lucky that his teachers adored him. He always was kind, helpful, charming and he didn't even have to fake it. His parents did a really good job raising him.

Even if he wasn't a fan of paintings, he enjoyed talking about them with Ms. Abbott. She was really passionate about it and that's why James liked their discussions so much. He never thought that after about ten years he would remember them so well, every single word. But somehow he did, especially that one time when Bucky asked his teacher how was he supposed to know if something was a masterpiece or not. Harriet Abbott had smiled at him before answering.

"You will know, James. It will be breathtaking, you won't be able to stop looking at it or listening. You will discover something new about it every time. You have to feel it, understand it your way. You can't follow someone else's opinion. Everyone considers something else a masterpiece. For me, it's Mona Lisa by Da Vinci, for my friend it's The Scream by Munch. And I'm pretty sure it's something else for you. Everybody has their own."

What was his masterpiece? He didn't know the answer back then. But he knew that Ms. Abbott was right, she always was. And ten years later as he remembered this conversation he couldn't help but thought 'she was right' again.

It was really nice Monday. It was sunny and really warm outside so it would be a sin to waste time lying on the couch. James grabbed a book his best friend Natasha bought him some time ago and left his apartment. He put his sunglasses on because the sun was shining way too bright and he wasn't prepared for this at 7 am. He was in a really good mood and nothing could change it. Bucky was strolling through the park alleys and tried to find nice the best place to sit and read. There wasn't a lot of people there yet, it was still early. James was lucky enough to find unoccupied bench close to the big fountain in the central part of the park. He sat, opened his book and started reading.

He was enjoying being outside. He really liked the way the warm wind was gently brushing his face and messed with his dark hair. It wasn't strong enough to mess it up completely. But some strands were falling on his face so he had to push them back from time to time. Luckily he was sitting in a shadow of the trees so the temperature wasn't too high for him. Sun didn't bother him so much anymore so he could take off his glasses. James put them on his head to hold his unruly hair. He looked around just to let his eyes rest for a moment.

And then it happened.

He felt as if something hit him in the head. Maybe it actually happened, Bucky wasn't sure. What he did know was that he found his masterpiece. And Ms. Abbott was right, it was breathtaking.

Few meters from where James was, there was the man. He was sitting on the grass, his back leaning against the tree. His shoulders were very broad – how was that even humanly possible to be so muscular? – that his navy blue button-up shirt looked way too tight. Actually, no. It wasn't too tight, Bucky didn't mind that it was clinging to his body. James kept staring at the man shamelessly because he couldn't look away. Thank God that Mr. Tight Shirt was too focused on the piece of paper he was holding in front of him. Barnes was watching the way the man's hand was moving. His moves were full of grace – yeah, this muscled man whose chest looks like Superman's was moving so gracefully it was almost surreal – and it didn't take Bucky a lot of time to figure out what he was doing. He was drawing. It was almost funny, he was creating art and was the work of art himself. But Bucky didn't even think about laughing, he just kept staring. The dark haired man noticed that Mr. Masterpiece had really long legs – his legs were probably muscled too – which meant that he was tall. Damn, of course, he was! James started wondering if he's taller than him. Maybe it was just an illusion caused by these muscles. Bucky was fit, yes, that's for sure. He was muscled too, his arms and his chest didn't look bad and his thighs – oh man, he had amazing thighs, but that's not the point. Barnes was smaller than this man. Were they the same height? No, probably not. James looked a little bit higher and he wasn't disappointed. The warm wind was playing with nicely styled blonde hair but didn't mess them up. Blonde? No, not blonde. His hair was golden. He had such a beautiful face. His beard made him look hotter, more masculine and softer at the same time. Bucky was in the art gallery few times but never saw anything – anyone – that could compare to him. Fuck, he was way too beautiful to be real! But he was and James Barnes couldn't get over it.

Bucky would probably keep staring for hours if the book he was holding didn't slip out of his hand. Oh God… James ran his fingers through dark hair. Obviously, he forgot about sunglasses on his head and he accidentally threw them on the ground behind the bench. His movements were chaotic when he quickly turned around to pick them up. He put his glasses on because he could feel his face burning. It would be a miracle if he wasn't already bright red. It was… Intense. He was overwhelmed by the beauty of this man. Wasn't it illegal to look so good? Barnes knew that he wouldn't be able to focus – not with this masterpiece being so close yet so far away – so he just closed his book and decided to go back to his place. But he was just a human and couldn't stop himself from looking at Mr. Golden Hair once again. Rays of sunshine were dancing on his skin making him look like he's glowing. Artist looked up for a moment, squinted his eyes a little and then he has focused on his drawing again. There were pure passion and concentration on his face – oh God, did he just bite his lip? – and James smiled subconsciously.

'Ms. Abbott was right' he thought 'I finally found my masterpiece.' Then he left but there was a boyish smile on his face for a really long time.

When James woke up the following morning there was a little smirk on his face. He felt the excitement in his body but didn't understand why. Or maybe he was aware of the reason he was so joyful at 8 am. He pulled his hair back, put on some dark clothes, his leather jacket, grabbed a book and left his apartment. He went to the park. Was he reading? Of course, he wasn't. He spent half an hour looking – he put his sunglasses on – at the beautiful man in front of him. Then Mr. Golden Hair stood up and left.

So Bucky came back the following day… And again…

He kept doing it for four days. He was acting like such a creep, he was fully aware of that. But he couldn't help it. Something about this man drew James towards him. But Bucky wasn't brave enough to just come closer and start a conversation. He wanted to – God, he wanted to know his name, he wanted to get closer and know what color his eyes were – but he was way too nervous to even try.

James Barnes came out as gay when he was sixteen so it wasn't a problem for him. He was proud of who he was and never questioned himself. All of his friends knew he was homosexual, his family did too and they were okay with that. But maybe this man wouldn't be? What if he was heterosexual or – even worse – homophobic douchebag? No, Bucky couldn't take the risk. It was safer to just keep watching him. James will get over him, right? He will, that's for sure. Hot Stranger will finish his drawing and Bucky will never see him again. Or Barnes will simply get bored.

So what's the point of trying to talk to this guy? There were plenty of men as beautiful as him… Right?

 **Yes, the chapter was really short but it's the first one, I have to somehow start this story.**

 **Let me know if you found some huge mistakes and tell me what you think!**

 **See you next time!**


	2. Super-spies

**Hey, guys! I'm back with His Masterpiece. This chapter is a little bit longer. Thanks for reading the first chapter and I hope you will enjoy this one as well. Enjoy!**

Sunday morning Bucky woke up about 7 am but didn't plan to go to the park again. As soon as he opened his eyes he picked up the phone and texted Clint. James didn't even bother texting Natasha because her phone was always muted. But Clint was checking his phone every twenty minutes and they lived together anyway. Bucky started scrolling down the Instagram and smiled at every video of cute dogs that he saw. After about five minutes Clint texted him that they're on their way to his place. That's what they used to do every Sunday. Natasha and Clint were visiting Bucky, they talked about what happened last week. It became their thing a long time ago and they never gave up on meeting on Sunday morning.

James got up, brushed his teeth and didn't bother eating breakfast. He knew they'll either cook something together or go out. He put on random clothes – he only owned black, white and grey ones so it wasn't risky – and went to the living room. He sat at the piano, stretched fingers and started playing a simple song he learned when he was a little kid. His eyes were closed and he didn't play music anymore. He became music. That was his favorite part about playing the piano. He could get lost in it.

Minutes were passing and before he knew it, he could hear someone opening his door. Of course, Tasha had her own key to his apartment. Bucky stopped playing and looked back at the door. Redhead came in grinning like an idiot and chuckling. Right behind her was Barton who was still talking. It was probably one of his dumb jokes but both Natasha and James loved them anyway. The dark-haired man stood up and smiled at his friends.

"What made you so happy already? It's 8 am, I don't recognize you, Buck." Romanoff came closer and hugged her best friend tightly. Ah, he missed her so much and they talked on the phone yesterday!

"What do you mean, Nat? People wake up early, that's normal, you know." He stepped back and hugged Clint as well. The blonde man laughed as if Bucky told the best joke ever.

"Remember your 20th birthday? I woke you up at 9 am and you didn't talk to me for three days. We all know you're not a morning person."

"And you were already playing the piano. Really, get yourself a boyfriend or something. You can't be in a relationship with the musical instrument, idiot." Barton hit James' shoulder gently and went past him to sit on the couch.

Bucky chuckled and he knew that will make his friends suspicious. And he wasn't wrong. Natasha and her boyfriend exchanged looks and then looked at Barnes again.

"Is it just me or Bucky-bear is blushing like a virgin?" Bucky rolled his eyes at Clint's comment and went to sit on the coach as well. He hoped they wouldn't ask about it but… He knew them well enough to know they wouldn't just drop it. So he could simply tell them, right?

"Well, there is this guy." It was enough for Natasha to get excited. She jumped on the couch and almost kicked Bucky in the process but her smile was so bright that he didn't even notice that. "I've met him a few days ago. And he's- God, he's beautiful! And by beautiful, I mean tall, muscled, and blonde but I think his hair is golden. And he has a beard, it looks so good on him."

James' smile was so wide and bright that his cheeks almost hurt. It was a little bit scary how happy he was just thinking about Mr. Golden Hair. But on the other hand who wouldn't be? He was the masterpiece, work of art and only blind person wouldn't be mesmerized by him. Bucky always had a problem with remembering faces but it was easy to remember this one. He had the picture of him in his head.

"What is he like? What is his name?"

The last time James has seen Tasha so happy and excited was when Clint finally – after three months of going on the dates and kisses on cheeks – asked her to be his girlfriend. Barnes looked at the man on his left. Barton was smiling too and it wasn't just because Nat's smile made him happy. He was excited for their friend as well, Bucky knew that. And it made him kind of sad to let them down like this but… Maybe he shouldn't have said that he met this guy?

"Actually, um, you know, we kind of… never talked." Bucky mumbled and immediately looked down just to avoid redhead's gaze.

Nobody said a word for at least two minutes. Clint and Natasha were probably looking at each other with that confused looks on their faces. But Barnes didn't have enough courage to look at them. Finally, Clint chuckled.

"Wow, and I thought that jumping out of the window for fun was the dumbest idea ever but you bested me. What does it even mean that you never talked?"

"Thanks for that confidence boost, Clint. I needed that." James sighed loudly to sound as irritated as possible. "And by 'we never talked' I meant that neither of us ever spoke to each other."

"We know what you meant. But… Why?" Natasha sounded so shocked that Bucky had to look at her. She looked so surprised and shocked and sad at the same time.

"Exactly, why? You think he's beautiful so you could've just said 'hi' or something. Why didn't you try?"

"This is the reason why! He was too beautiful, okay? He was-"

"Don't you dare to say that he was out of your league, Buchanan." Yep, that's exactly what he wanted to say. Tasha knew him too well. "Have you seen yourself? You're so gorgeous that I can't even- Okay, that cute smile of yours, these ocean blue eyes? Don't even get me started on your thighs! You can wrap ANYONE around your finger in two seconds!"

"Yeah, I have a huge crush on you and I'm not even gay."

"No, you don't." Said Bucky immediately. The blonde man just shrugged.

"No, I don't."

"You're so full of shit, Barton."

"Alright boys, are we done here?" Natasha sighed and it was obvious that part of her was annoyed and the other amused. "We're missing the point, guys. Why didn't James Barnes try to flirt with his Prince Charming?"

This time it was Bucky's turn to sigh. He was hoping they will forget about it but there was not a chance. Sometimes he hated his friends but it made him love them even more. The dark-haired man was silent for a moment and nobody even tried to speak because it was obvious that he was trying to find his words.

"The thing is that I can't just talk to him. I went to the park on Monday morning. Wanted to read the book and just relax. But after a while I looked around and there he was – sitting on the grass, looking like Young God, and drawing. I was so fucking amazed by his beauty that I came back to the same spot the next day. I was hoping he would come too – and he did. So I went there few three more times and he was always there and I swear that he was looking even better every day."

"So, let me get this straight…" Clint started with a puzzled face. "You were watching hot stranger for five days in a row but you couldn't talk to him? What the hell, man?"

"You don't understand-"

"You're right, we don't. Why don't you enlighten us?" Was Clint trying to annoy Bucky or something? Because if he did, it worked. James was so frustrated with their questions already but he had to answer them. Otherwise, they would never stop.

"What if- What if he's not gay?"

"And what if he is gay? You should-"

"But I'm sure he's not single anyway!"

"Just give it a damn shot, you idiot!" Romanoff was so done with Bucky, he knew that. But she just wouldn't understand.

Most people were heterosexual so she didn't have to worry if any particular man was into women. But being gay wasn't that easy. Gaydar was a myth – it was impossible to just look at someone and know he's gay. Well, if he was checking your ass out or was giving you a certain look then there was no doubt. But there was no such a thing as Gaydar. Or maybe there was but James' was broken? Not the point. Bucky couldn't just go to the man that looked hot and ask for his number. In the best case, the man would just walk away. In the worst… Well, not everybody was tolerant, James found it out for himself. Starting a conversation with Mr. Golden Hair was too risky. It was just a crush, nothing more. It was better, safer to just watch him from the distance. What if he ever tried to make a move would be disappointed? No way, he was not stupid.

"Yeah, no, not going to happen. End of discussion." Bucky got up from the couch to emphasize his words and went to his small kitchen.

He poured himself a glass of water but neither Natasha nor Clint said a word. James looked at them discretely and they seemed to have this shit when couples can communicate without words. He rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Instead, Barnes was slowly drinking cold water as if he wanted to wait a little longer so his friends would forget what they were talking about. It was a little naïve but man can dream, right?

"C'mon, we're going out, all of us." Said Natasha but it sounded more like an order. James looked at her with confusion but was already walking towards the door, Clint was following her few steps behind. "Oh, and don't forget your sunglasses!"

"What for? It's not that sunny today." Bucky was super confused but followed his redhead friend anyway. And he grabbed his shades too, even if she didn't answer him yet.

"Because, my darling, we're going to grab some breakfast and go to the park. We're going to be super-spies so we need to have sunglasses on. Let's see if your Prince Charming is so dreamy." Nat put her glasses on and smiled at her friend.

"Okay, first of all, this is a super dumb idea. It's funny too but dumb. Second, don't you even dare to think about embarrassing me, talking to this guy if we meet him or anything like that. Just try to be a good friend, okay?" Did Bucky like this idea? Not really. Was he going to do as Romanoff told? Definitely. "Oh, and one more… I like to call him Mr. Golden Hair, not Prince Charming because his hair is golden, you know. So yeah, if he has to give him any name, I want it to be Mr. Golden Hair."

"Got it. Now let's go, fellas!" Bucky couldn't help but laughed. He loved doing silly things with his friends and it had to be one of them.

James was wondering what was going to happen. First option: the man wouldn't show up. Second: he would show up, they will watch him a little and go back to his place. Third option: He would show up and one of his friends would do something stupid and embarrassing. It would be Clint probably. Not that he wasn't a good friend, of course, he was. But sometimes Barton just couldn't keep his mouth closed. He was saying things that he shouldn't have said. But maybe it was his lucky day? Maybe there wouldn't be any complications? God, Bucky sure hoped so!

They left his apartment making small conversation, giggling and smiling like idiots. They walked down the stairs and went out of the building. Natasha went out first, Clint was few steps in front of Bucky so they left right behind the doors for dark haired man. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Okay, it was going to be okay, right? Nothing big, just breakfast with friends and the same thing he was doing for few days. Just acting like creeps, oh sorry, super-spies on Sunday. Yeah, completely normal. He stepped out of the building confidently but it all went to shit went he looked around.

"Oh, shit! Fuck-shit!" He sighed as he tried to come back in but Natasha stopped him grabbing his arm. He knew he was turning red, of course, he did.

The thing was, he wasn't prepared for this. They were going to wait for Mr. Golden Hair in the park. And there he was, walking like a freaking god towards them talking through the phone! Fuck! What was he doing there?! Bucky had to turn his back to him because otherwise, he would just stare at him. This and he wanted to make it look like his friends and he were just talking. Clint and Natasha were looking at him and both of them were confused like hell.

"Can you see this really tall, muscular man? He's talking over the phone and I think he's wearing a dark shirt. I don't know I didn't look at him long enough." He said under his breath. Shit, how much time this they have to talk about him shamelessly? Did he turn somewhere, was he still going their way?

"Uh, I think I don't-"

"Oh, look! I see him, I think I see him!" Natasha grabbed Clint's arm with excitement and jumped a little bit. "He has a beard, right?" Bucky nodded nervously because let's be honest, this blonde man was so close and it was kind of scary. James wasn't prepared for this, for meeting him on the street.

"Mhm, I think I see him too. I don't know, he's handsome, I guess." Barton shrugged and Buck couldn't blame him. He was totally straight, not blind but still, he never got excited about other man's looks. But he said he's handsome, that's great!

"You kidding me? He's smoking hot!" Natasha shook her head in amazement. Clint looked at her with this funny face and James almost burst out laughing. "Oh, Jesus, this smile!"

"What?! He's smiling?!"

"We can switch places if you want, lover boy." Barnes never loved his friend more. Seriously, Clint was amazing!

"I love you so much, blondie." Bucky quickly switched places with the other man so he could watch his masterpiece.

And God, it was the best thing that happened to him lately. James parted his lips with a quiet gasp. Mr. Golden Hair was beautiful, yes, but his smile… His smile was making him look even better. He looked… God, he looked like a freaking angel! Was he real? He had to be real, Nat and Clint saw him too. But he was so perfect… How was Bucky supposed to get over his stupid crush on this man?!

And then he laughed, Mr. Golden Hair laughed and James was close enough to hear it over all this city noise. And he realized that he had never heard music before. This sound was going to hunt him forever. Barnes never thought that laugh could be so beautiful, so…

"Shit, Bucky, you're a goner. You're falling for him. Hard." Said Clint with amazement on his face. Bucky realized that both of his friends were looking at him all this time while he was admiring Mr. Golden Hair. He looked down feeling that he was blushing a little bit.

"No, no, I'm not." He shook his head but didn't even bother to look at their faces. "Besides, it's like a high school crush, you know. I will be over him in five minutes."

"Yeah, sure. I don't know if you noticed but you're not a teenager anymore. Soon you will be 29 and you're adult now, it's different than back in high school." Clint sighed and gave Bucky that look that a tired father would give his son because he's so done with his shit.

"O, C'mon, stop being such a smartass! Remember when you had a crush on Tasha?"

"Yeah, I do. I feel in love and now we're together."

"Okay, it wasn't the best point I've ever made. Look, I'm still young and single and I can admire other men without planning my future with…"

"Um, guys?" Natasha interrupted their discussion and pointed her finger discretely behind Clint's back.

They followed her gaze and, oh shit! Mr. Golden Hair was only three meters away from them and he stopped there. He put his hand in the pocket of his blue jeans and took out a bunch of keys. Then he opened the door and walked into the building next to the one that Bucky was living in. Oh, shit, shit, shit!

"You didn't say he's your neighbor!"

"Because I didn't know he was, Nat."

"What, how? You've been living here for over a month!"

"Exactly, a month! And you know I'm barely leaving my apartment. I only go out when I have to go to work or I start to feel like a recluse."

Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad. James hasn't met this guy for so long. Maybe he would be lucky enough to never meet him again? He just had to lock himself up in his apartment, stay there for few days and forget about his little crush. Oh, c'mon, why was he even trying? Of course, it was bad! Knowing that this dreamy man was so close made James nervous as fuck!

"Guys, I think I'm so screwed…"

 **Say hello to Natasha and Clint! I hope it wasn't too messy and chaotic, I did my best. Let me know what you think cause I'm still really excited about publishing this story.**

 **See you next time!**


	3. Coffee

James was never late. But if something went wrong, his alarm didn't ring or something like that, he would do anything to not be late. Including running through the park with the cup of the worst coffee he ever got while talking on the phone with Clint who was almost panicking.

"Calm down, Barton, we will figure it out."

"How am I supposed to calm down? I forgot about our damn anniversary! Oh God, she's going to kill me…" James was so done with this shit. That's the thing he hated about being in a relationship. He wasn't the best at remembering dates so he had to put it in the calendar on his phone to remind him every year. And then after things didn't work out he had to delete all this not useful information.

"Dude, stop freaking out, seriously." Bucky felt like his lungs were burning. He was out of his breath and the taste of this awful coffee was on his tongue all the time. "Tasha won't kill you, I know it. And you didn't forget, you almost forgot, that's the difference. We can still do something!"

James looked at the watch on his wrist. Only twenty minutes left. Technically, he could've slowed down a little and still get to Udaku's house on time but he preferred to get there at least five minutes early. This way he had time for a little discussion with Shuri, the girl he was giving piano lessons to. So he continued to walk really fast, almost run. Bucky took a sip of his coffee and it cost him a lot of strength not to throw it up.

"You think I didn't try? I did! I already tried to make a reservation at every single restaurant in this city and it's too late, everything is booked. And yes, I checked this one in which you work too."

James took a deep breath and almost choked in the process. Okay, Clint needed his help. And Bucky could help him, right? He was way more creative than his friend, he helped him plan the first date with Natasha. Hell, he was probably the most romantic one in their group of friends because some of them were in the relationships that wouldn't exist without a little help from Barnes. So yeah, he was positive that he would figure it out but he needed few more hours. And maybe better coffee.

"Okay, Clinton, stop panicking. Calm down because Nat will sense that something is wrong. I will figure out something but please, give me some time because I'm running la- Oh, fuck!"

James screamed in surprise – and maybe a little bit of terror – as he ran into something. The paper cup with coffee in it slipped out of his hand. Before Bucky even realized what was going on dark liquid was all over something that looked like a huge notebook – and this something was held in someone's hands.

"Shit, shit, I'm so fucking sorry! I didn't see you, I'm so sorry!" He started rambling like an idiot.

Barnes put his phone inside the pocket of his jeans after he ended the call with Clint, obviously. Oh man, he was so out of luck… This awful coffee not only tasted like shit but also ruined someone's stuff – but this one was kind of Bucky's fault. Hell, he couldn't even try to save this huge notebook!

"I messed up your stuff, should've been looking where I was going. I'm so-"

"Hey, calm down, it's okay." Bucky barely registered a little chuckle. Nah, he was way too busy with freaking out. "Really, don't worry about it, it's just a sketchbook."

Barnes looked up and was ready to apologize again – and few more times – but he almost choked when he realized what has he done. Oh my, not only he ran into someone, ruined this guy's sketchbook but this guy was Mr. Golden Hair!

Seriously?! Bucky started to wonder if he did something terrible lately because it looked like a bad Karma, really bad.

"No, but it's your- your sketchbook. And I ruined it! I'm so sorry, I will…" His voice now was really quiet and unsure but he was interrupted by the blonde man's laugh. And this laughing sound even better when they were standing so close. Like, really, they were way too close to each other. Bucky enjoyed it but it also made him nervous like hell.

"Stop apologizing, it's nothing. You have no idea how many times I've spilled coffee on my stuff myself. But I should've been more careful too."

If James wasn't embarrassed and shocked he would probably lay on the ground and cry over how wonderful his voice was and how cute his smile was. This man was literally smiling widely all the time and he looked like such a nice man – he was even acting like one. His voice? Oh God, it was so deep and smooth like velvet. Bucky could listen to him all- Get your shit together, Barnes!

"I've destroyed your drawings. Or whatever you have in this." James' voice was almost shaking – or maybe it was? Really, he was so shocked that he barely even moved. He was just looking at Mr. Golden Hair and talking quietly.

"Not really, it's still empty. Look-" The blonde man opened his sketchbook and revealed blank pages now marked with dark stains. "And only cover and few pages got messed up. The rest is all clean. But you lost your coffee."

"Oh, coffee, it tasted like shit anyway." Bucky answer before he had time to think if he really wanted to say this or not. He didn't want to, it just… happened. He was ready to say sorry again but taller man – he was a little bit taller, just like Buck thought – laughed again.

"No offense, but it explains why you look like you might throw up in a sec." He joked. Or maybe, just maybe, his crush was standing so close to him?

Oh, C'mon! What are you, Barnes, twelve?

So James simply decided to smile at this comment.

"Hey, do you maybe live on Oak Street?" The bearded man asked furrowing his brows. Bucky nodded but this question had taken him by surprise. "I had to make sure but, you know, we're kind of neighbors." He added with a little laugh – was it nervous laugh?

"Uh, what? Really?" Thank God he was taking drama classes in high school. Maybe his acting wasn't so bad and Mr. Golden Hair wouldn't notice that he's lying. "Sorry, I moved there about a month ago and I barely go out so…"

Way to go, Barnes. Now you sound like a pathetic loser.

"It's okay. I've seen you a few times before but you were always in the rush. I guess you're busy all the time. Moving to the new place is a lot of work, right?"

"Yeah, it is. But sorry for not introducing myself to the neighborhood, it was rude. But as you said I'm always in the rush. And this reminds me that I have to be somewhere in less than fifteen minutes, sorry." Said James with an apologetic smile on his face.

He didn't want to go, didn't want to end this conversation, this moment. Yes, it was embarrassing for him and made him super nervous but he just wanted to stay. He didn't even care how awkward he was with new people. It didn't matter because Mr. Golden Hair seemed to have no problem with starting a casual conversation with him. And James really liked that. Well, maybe there was no flirting between them but this little talk was enough for Bucky. Yes, he had a huge crush on this guy, he was making him nervous but somehow just talking about simple things was satisfying him. But he still had to go, it was his job.

"Wow, you sure apologize a lot." The tall blonde man joked with this huge grin on his gorgeous face. "But it should be me apologizing right now. I didn't mean to stop you so, yeah, I'm sorry." James laughed quietly because this guy was right. They were saying 'sorry' all the time, for anything.

"So… I guess I will see you around." Barnes said it shyly even if it wasn't anything that would suggest 'hey, I have a crush on you'. It was obvious they would meet again, they were neighbors. Why was he so nervous about saying it? Really, he had to get his shit together and stop acting as if he was twelve years old.

But blonde man's reaction wasn't unusual. He had a smile on his face and it was so honest. You could say he was smiling just by looking at his eyes – they seemed to be smiling too, don't matter how dumb this might sound. And this man had such a beautiful crystal blue eyes. Looking into them was like looking into the sky. Bucky could get lost in them but he used all the strength he had to look somewhere else. He couldn't just stare into man's eyes, he didn't want to act like a creep – not like he was doing it lately but Mr. Golden Hair didn't need to know that.

"Yeah, see you around." Said blonde man and Bucky knew it was his time to go. He smiled at him one more time and walked around him. He picked up the empty coffee cup to throw it in the nearest trash can but as he straightened up he heard this deep voice again. "Oh, and by the way – I'm Steve Rogers." Dark-haired man turned around and smiled.

"Bucky Barnes, nice to meet you." Said James and they smiled at each other once again before Buck started to walk again.

After a few minutes, he took a deep breath because he felt like he was shaking. Steve Rogers, Steve – it was a nice name, suited the man perfectly. Bucky liked his name and was happy that he finally got to know it. It was a little bit stupid to call him Mr. Golden Hair. Part of him wanted to text Natasha immediately just to tell her that his name is Steve. But it would lead to her calling him and asking a lot of questions. She would try to talk him into flirting with him and Bucky didn't want that. Of course, he wouldn't mind it if Steve and he were flirting. But he didn't want to make their acquaintance all about romance. Rogers was a nice guy, incredibly handsome, but he was kind and he was Bucky's neighbor. He needed someone friendly around, apart from his friends. Maybe Steve could become his new friend? So yeah, Buck wasn't going to tell more about him to Natasha. Maybe he felt a little guilty that he wanted to keep a secret from her. But he would tell her eventually, just not immediately.

James got to the Udaku's mansion five minutes before Shuri's lesson should start. He didn't even get to the door when the teen girl opened them to greet her teacher.

"Hello, Mr. Barnes!" She smiled widely and Bucky, of course, did the same. He adored this girl, seriously.

"I hope that you did what I asked you to, Miss." Said James as he walked into the house.

"Of course. My brother wanted to kill me because I was playing the same thing for a few hours straight but I mastered it."

"We'll see about that, Shuri." Bucky chuckled quietly. This girl was somehow his friend even if she was ten years younger. But she was incredibly wise for her age and it was easy and nice to talk to her.

"Anyway, did you drink your morning coffee? Because you obviously overslept." Asked Shuri but she was already heading to the kitchen.

"You could barely call it a coffee. The worst thing I ever drank, really."

"But I bet you drank it anyway. You can't live without caffeine, you're addicted." Bucky heard her perfectly from the living room so he sat at the piano and started to play absentmindedly.

"I can live without it but people can't handle me then. And no, I didn't drink it, I kind of lost it."

"How do you lost a coffee?" The teen girl walked into the room with a white mug filled with dark liquid. Bucky sighed and shrugged. Okay, they were friends but the story about how James walked into his crush and spilled his coffee on him was way too embarrassing to tell.

"What is it on your face? Are you blushing?" Barnes stopped playing and looked at Shuri. She was squinting her eyes and stared at him suspiciously.

"I'm not." He denied it even if he knew it was the truth. His face was for sure red. Why? Just a thought of meeting Steve was enough to make him blush? Oh God… Shuri started to open her mouth to argue with James but he lasted her. "Oh look, it's time for your piano lesson, Miss Udaku. How about you start with Invention No. 13 in A minor? Let's see if you mastered it like you said you did."

He got up and took the mug with coffee from Shuri's hands. He really had to get his shit together. James was blushing all the time lately and all of this just because of this one man? Was he blushing while talking to him? What if they would meet again, Steve would notice and ask about it? Oh no, Bucky didn't want this to happen. Maybe he should try to find somebody else who could make him weak? Wait… Did he just admit that Steve Rogers made him weak? How the hell was he supposed to get over him if he kept thinking things like this?

He had to think about the plan as soon as possible. Mission?

Get over Steve Rogers.

 **Okay, so Steve and James finally talked! Yay or not?**

 **I did my best but honestly, I had a hard time writing this but I hope you liked it.**

 **Let me know what you think, how can I improve my story or something**

 **Lots of love :)**


	4. Cake

**Okay, hello everybody! Here I come and I'm bringing you a new chapter, all about Bucky and Clint.**

 **I didn't get any feedback recently and I know that I shouldn't expect anything since I'm an amateur and this story isn't something great but maybe - just maybe - you could try to tell me what you really think about this. I would be very grateful.**

 **Now, Enjoy!**

James put the last plate in the dishwasher and turned it on after he closed it. Quiet sounds of water filled the kitchen as he sighed and turned around putting hands on his hips.

"I just cleaned your kitchen, you better be grateful, Barton." Bucky looked at the blonde man that was sitting on the floor with crossed legs. Clint didn't look at his friend even for one second.

"You know I couldn't do it, I'm busy."

"And what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm keeping an eye on our chocolate cake, duh." Barton sounded almost irritated by this question. Bucky was speechless at first but then started laughing at his friend.

"You're such an adorable idiot, Clinton." Said James as he turned around to open the fridge. The blonde man murmured silent 'thanks' while Barnes was searching for a beer because he knew they had at least one bottle.

When he finally found what he was looking for, he closed the fridge and opened his beer with a bottle opener. Then he sat next to Clint and they both were silently staring at the oven for few minutes. Bucky was sipping his beer and Barton was just sitting there and staring, maybe not even blinking – as if the cake would burn if he looked away for one second.

"How is your work?" Asked Clint after few minutes. Yep, he couldn't sit in silence for a long time. Bucky shrugged because he knew that Barton would notice that with the corner of his eye. This guy had the best eyesight ever, it was almost humanly impossible.

"Just casual stuff. Teaching these kids how to play, I didn't murder any of them for destroying art. They're lucky I'm so patient. And nothing interesting in the restaurant too. I'm just some nice piano song in the background, I think most people don't even know that music in that place doesn't come from some CD player." James joked and Clint chuckled a little. "How about yours?"

"Really, Barnes?" This time Barton actually looked at his friend as if he told something extremely dumb. "You know that all I do in work is just sitting in the same office, staring at the same computer screen for few hours every day. How could anything interesting happen in this place?"

And then they were silent again. Well, almost silent. Clint was tapping on his knees with fingers. Yep, he was nervous as hell, Bucky – as a very good friend he is – had to distract him somehow. How to distract Clint Barton in one easy step? Start talking about Natasha.

"You shouldn't be so nervous. We both know Tasha will love literally anything as long as you two are together."

"I know, man, that's not the thing." Barton sighed silently and laid down on the kitchen floor. James didn't bother asking any questions because he knew that the blonde man would continue. He just took another sip of his beer, put away the bottle and simply laid down next to him. Lying on the floor was the best way to have serious conversations. "The thing is… She deserves the best and I'm always afraid that I couldn't give her that, you know?"

"Bullshit, Clint. You two are made for each other, you fit perfectly. And you're everything Nat wants and needs, trust me."

"I mean, look at her, James. She's so beautiful. Literally, every guy on the street looks her way." Barton sounded so frustrated and worried at the same time.

Bucky understood him partly. Natasha was such a beauty, it was hard not to look at her when she was walking into the room and Barnes was fully aware of that. He was her best friend since they were eighteen and he had seen so many guys falling for her, admiring her looks, admiring her. She had few boyfriends but none of them was like Clint.

"Yeah, I know, but is she looking back at them?" Bucky knew that maybe Clint was being a little jealous but he wasn't possessive. Trust wasn't the problem here, Clint just wanted to be better every day so he deserved her. And Buck knew how did it feel because he was madly in love once too. "She's not, she only has her eyes on you, Clint. You're the most important man in her life so stop doubting yourself. You are good enough for her, even more than good."

"Well, maybe the second important man in her life. If you weren't gay, I would be so fucking jealous of you." This comment made James chuckle a little. He looked at Clint who was smirking. He seemed way more relaxed than five minutes earlier.

"You know that I and Tasha made a promise that we would get married if we were still single at the age of forty? We would be such a dysfunctional family but we already chose our babies' names. Sebastian and Scarlett – cool, right?"

"Whoa, man, now I'm worried. Nat and I never even mentioned marriage but she has it all planned with you already. It's not really helping my self-esteem." Clint joked and they both laughed. But after few seconds James quickly got up and turned around so he was facing his friend. He crossed his legs and looked at Barnes with a serious face.

"Why not? I mean, why didn't you proposed to her yet?" James started swaying back and forth in excitement.

"Okay, that's some heavy shit we're talking about now." The blonde man sighed deeply and looked at the ceiling to collect his thoughts. "I would love to call her my fiancé, then wife, have a real family with Tasha…"

"Then do it!"

"… but isn't it too early for that? I mean, it's not for me but what about Natasha? I don't want to push her or anything." Bucky froze as he heard that. Really, it took a lot of effort not to slap Clint in that stupid face. Sometimes James just wanted to kill him because he was saying such dumb things.

"You're the biggest idiot in the world, I swear. You kidding me? You've been together for three years now, living together for a year and a half. What, are you going to wait 'til you are fifty? You are so ready for this. And you don't have to get married immediately but being engaged is way better than just being a boyfriend and girlfriend."

"You may be right, Barnes, but…"

"No, no 'buts'! I'm still talking so shut up. You know that you two have my support no matter what but think about it. Personally, I can't wait for your wedding! I can't wait to cry like a baby, hear your vows, embarrass both of you with my wedding speech, get drunk because my besties are getting married! I can't wait to babysit your child – I want to be its godfather, by the way. I just want you two to have your happily ever after, Clint. So, think about it, okay?"

James was smiling like an idiot while imagining all these things. And Barton was probably doing the same as there was a huge grin on his face and there were these happy sparks in his eyes. Yep, he definitely was considering this more serious than ever before and it made Bucky so happy.

"God, now I won't be able to stop thinking about it, you bastard." The blonde man whispered and shook his head slightly.

"Oh, about getting engaged and stuff, I just remembered something. Two weeks ago some guy proposed to his girlfriend at our restaurant. She said 'no' and left so I bought him a dessert."

"If you were only just as brave when it comes to talking to your crush… But anyway, you just killed my self-confidence, you should feel guilty, Barnes." James shrugged and giggled. Clint was obviously joking and it wasn't Bucky's intentions to kill the happy mood, they both knew that. It was just their usual banter. "You could've apologized at least."

"Nope, Steve said I do that too much so I'm not going to say 'sorry', especially to you, Barton." James grabbed his beer from the counter and took a few sips.

"Who is Steve?" Clint asked suspiciously and Bucky almost choked. Oh shit, shit, shit! It just… slipped out. He wanted to disappear, he wanted it so much at that moment. And, of course, he blushed like an idiot.

"Uh, he's a new waiter in the restaurant, nice guy." The dark-haired man tried to hide his rosy cheeks by taking another sip of the beer.

"Buchanan, don't lie to me." Clint kept looking at him with this deadly stare he was using whenever Bucky tried to get away with a lie - he never succeeded. Romanoff and Barton could see right through him with no effort.

If only James was more careful, he could've kept it a secret for a little longer. And now he knew, he knew that for sure that Clint wouldn't drop it and then he would tell Nat everything or make Bucky do this. There was no way out of this situation. Barnes tried avoiding looking at his friend, he still tried to fight it even if he already lost. Barton nudged him with his knee, actually, he did it few more times just to annoy Bucky and get the info.

"Okay, fine! Steve Rogers is my neighbor." He finally gave up and told the truth.

"Neighbor? As in the-man-that-you-have-huge-crush-on-and-he-turned-out-to-be-your-neighbor?" Bucky rolled his eyes but nodded eventually. "Dude, were you stalking him on social media or something?" Clint was looking at the dark-haired man with confused – but not disappointed – look.

This would be less creepy than watching the guy in the park a few days in a row but still, it was nothing like Bucky. The only social media account he had was Instagram because there were a lot of videos of puppies, kittens, and food and Bucky was a sucker for that.

"What? No! We just talked." Somehow, James managed to say it with way more casual voice than anyone – especially Clint – would expect it from him.

"Just talked? What the hell, why didn't you tell us? When did this happen?" Barton sounded and seemed really offended. Maybe if he wasn't so lazy, he would stand up to show his disappointment in Bucky's decision to keep this thing a secret.

"It's no big deal, really. Remember when we were talking on the phone yesterday and I suddenly hung up? I ran into him and spilled my coffee on his sketchbook which was still empty, lucky me." There were a few minutes of silence before Clint started to laugh hysterically. He covered his face with hands as he was getting red. Bucky was confused. What was so funny about it? He wanted to ask but Barton's laughed turned into a chuckle as he looked at James with little tears in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, man, but it was both funny and pathetic and I couldn't help myself. And by the way, it was so cliché. It sounds like every 1D fanfiction plot but a little gayer." Clint started laughing again after his own comment which made Bucky even more disordered.

"Why were you reading 1D fanfiction?" He questioned while furrowing his eyebrows. Barton sighed deeply as if Bucky asked him why was he breathing.

"Remember that time when I broke my arm and twisted an ankle? I was really bored. Plus, some of them were really nice. Don't judge me." James chuckled at his friend. Yep, it wasn't even surprising considering that he bought The Sims and created Nat, Buck and himself as Sims back then. And then he drowned Bucky in the pool when real life Bucky started to laugh at him. Clint Barton, everybody. "But back to the topic. Tell me more, I need details!"

"There's nothing to discuss, really." James shrugged and this time he didn't even have to lie. Nothing – apart from spilling coffee, small talk and introducing themselves – happened. But the blonde man kicked him in the hip so he had to tell anything so he sighed deeply and started to talk.

"As I said, I was trying to get to Shuri's place on time and was talking with you on the phone. And I didn't pay attention to my surrounding so I run into Steve and spilled my shitty coffee on his sketchbook. Started to apologize and it was a while until I realized that was him, I was too embarrassed about this accident to look at his face. And he was really nice and kind, said I shouldn't feel guilty and it's not a big deal. Really, he was smiling all the time. It was making me even more nervous but I think he's such a great guy, you know? He looks like one but, C'mon, I spilled coffee on him and he had every right to get mad. But he didn't and it was so… Different, I guess? I would love to become his friend." James finished his monologue with a little nod as if he decided it was a good idea. Because it was, having another person to care about. Bucky never was the type of person that was best friends with everyone. Yes, he had many friends, but only two besties. But Steve seemed like the kind of person who could become the third one and honestly, Buck wanted it to happen. But Clint had a different opinion on this because he sat up suddenly.

"What the fuck did you just say? Friend? Please tell me that you meant 'his boyfriend' or I'm gonna kick your gay ass." And that was exactly the reason why James tried to avoid talking about this. Of course, he knew that Clint wanted Bucky to be happy. But he was and he could still be happy being single and friends with his soon-to-be-ex crush. "Seriously, dude, you just broke my heart. I was really excited for you, you deserve so much love and…"

"But you and Nat are giving me love!"

"I know, honey. But I'm talking about a different kind of love. I think that you really should try to find a boyfriend. Not trying to pressure you. But think about it. You have a nice job, great apartment, awesome friends and you will be 28 soon. You want me and Nat to get married as soon as possible but you, on the other hand, are still single." Honestly, James felt as if it was his dad talking, not Clint.

Maybe he was a little bit right. Bucky was completely okay with being alone most of the time. But sometimes he was just feeling lonely. Some nights he was just lying awake because he felt incomplete. But was it about having someone next to him?

"You're not completely wrong," Buck admitted hesitantly and continued before Clint had a chance to speak. "But I don't see how this is about Steve, potentially my new friend." Barnes knew that this one would make Barton's blood boil. Part of him said this to watch this show. The other part just wanted to say this one more time: falling for Rogers was not an option.

"I know you said it to annoy me. Well, it worked but now listen to me carefully. You have a crush on him and you know it. And I know that you two talked just once. But sometimes, when two people are meant to be together, it's enough. Hell, you had a thing for him before you knew his name! You're still denying it but you're a goner. And you have to give it a shot or you will regret not doing it for the rest of your life." Clint finished with a little smile on his face. He probably tried to make his words more believable. "I think you two would look really cute together. I ship it so hard, I think I deserve to be the captain of this ship." Bucky laughed at this comment and shook his head.

Would they look cute together? Maybe.

Wait, what the hell? No! He couldn't think about it, he was supposed to deny being interested in Steve in any more-than-friendly way. He had to say something that would make sense.

"You know that I can't go around the city, pick any good-looking guy and start to flirt with him. Finding real love is way more complicated. And I feel like Steve could become my friend and nothing else." Bucky explained calmly and got up from the floor. Both of them went quiet for a while. James went up to the window to stare out of it and a few seconds later he has heard a little noise from behind. Clint leaned against the wall next to him.

"But to find the love you have to let yourself catch feelings. Besides, you really think I missed the way your whole face lightened up when I said you two would look cute together?" Barton's voice was soft and understanding. Well, he was right and maybe there was no reason to fight it anymore. Bucky let himself smile a little as he looked down at the floor. "I think you should hang out with him, observe the way he's acting towards you, the way he's looking at you. Maybe even try asking him discreetly about his sexuality. And most importantly be yourself."

"Yeah, right. Like I would be able to observe him without having heart-eyes. He would notice that pretty easily. And how am I supposed to be discreet about asking if he's straight or not?" James rolled his eyes and looked at his blonde friend.

"Okay. I admit, there's no subtle way to ask about it. But he has to be gay. Who wouldn't be around hottie like you?" He hit Bucky's arm gently and, hell, James had to admit that this conversation has made him forget a little about his plan to get over Steve.

Maybe he shouldn't have come up with this plan at all? Maybe having a crush on his neighbor wasn't such a bad thing? He could still be friends with him, he's adult after all and can handle situations like this. And it didn't have to be all about marriage and kids. Although Bucky always wanted to get married before his 30th birthday so he would still be young enough to raise kids. But if he was lucky and Rogers would be even a little bit into him as well, a little romance between them would be okay too. Somehow, James was getting more and more comfortable with the thought of being into Steve.

"You know what? He knew we are neighbors." Said Bucky with a little smirk on his face. He looked at Clint with pride in his eyes because hell yeah, this little thing was making him proud. "That's a good thing, right?"

"You kidding me? That's great! It means that he noticed you, probably more than once! And maybe he finds you attractive because he remembers you but that's my theory. Wow, now I'm super excited." Clint chuckled and it was obvious that he meant what he said. Barton was really excited about this whole thing, probably even more than Buck, and it wasn't even real yet.

"Thank you, Clint. For being so supportive and shit, I needed that." The dark-haired man looked gratefully at his friend. Barton smiled widely and put a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "And I promise I will tell Nat everything as soon as possible but not tonight. Tonight is all about you and it has to be perfect."

"We will come to your place tomorrow then. Anyway, do you think our cake is ready?" Bucky froze for a second. Shit, cake. He completely forgot about it. He turned around and went to the kitchen. The cake was in the oven for ten minutes more than it should be so James turned it off immediately. He opened the oven and kneeled next to it. "Why does it smell like it's burned?" Asked Clint who just walked into the kitchen. He looked at the cake and sighed. They fucked up. Well, maybe not completely but it was obvious that cake was, in fact, a little bit burned.

"It's not that bad, I guess. At least she will know that you baked this."

 **I hope it wasn't that bad and you survived. Let me know what you think about the story and characters so far!**

 **Oh, and by the way, I didn't try to make fun of the 1D or 1D fanfictions - used to be a huge fun so what's the point - more like making fun of my own story and its plot.**

 **See you next time!**


	5. No control

**Okay, this chapter is definitely something else. I mean, I feel like it's different than anything else I wrote so far even if it's still the same story. But I think it's not bad, I think I like this chapter.**

 **Get ready for a whole chapter about Stucky, hope you'll like it!**

It was late but Bucky wasn't tired at all. But he was extremely nervous. Why? He wasn't sure about that either. But it definitely had something to do with Steve Rogers.

After leaving Clint's apartment James got a great idea. Obviously, he couldn't stop thinking about a little accident with coffee and sketchbook the other day. He had to make it up to Steve somehow… and maybe find a good reason to talk to him again. He decided that he should buy him the new sketchbook. It didn't guarantee that Steve would want to spend some time with Barnes but at least Buck would feel a little bit less guilty about destroying his stuff. So he left his apartment early and found a store with art supplies. He didn't know a thing about this so shop assistant had to help him all the time. This girl could have given him the worst sketchbook out there and tell it was the best but Bucky would still believe that. God, he hoped she didn't do anything like that because he ended up buying the sketchbook, few pencils and acrylic paints – he wasn't even sure if Steve was using these. The shop assistant was actually very understanding and nice and packed it all in the nice box with blue ribbon after Bucky mentioned it was supposed to be a gift for _someone_ – and he blushed saying this so it was pretty obvious he wanted to impress _that someone_. Then he went to the work and spent a few hours playing piano and overthinking. When he got back to his apartment he already had a plan in his head. It was way too late to knock on the door – what if Steve was already asleep? – but coming back the next day wasn't an option too. Rogers had to work somewhere too and probably had a completely different schedule than Bucky. The best idea he came up with was just leaving the box with a little note at Steve's door and hoping for the best.

But he ended up standing in front of the door and had no idea what to do. The package felt so heavy in his hands that he wanted to put it down but didn't move. He was just staring at the wood and thinking if this was a good idea. Probably not but he didn't have another option. So he looked at the little note attached to the box – Bucky decided that writing simple _'I'm sorry again, hope it compensates for the damage I've done the other day.'_ was a good idea – and sighed deeply. Now or never. He was ready to put down the package and leave but he heard heavy footsteps behind him.

"Bucky? Hey, what are you doing here? I mean, I'm glad you came but why?" Steve chuckled – of course, he did – and looked at James with the puzzled face but there still was a huge grin on his face.

"Hi, Steve" Bucky mumbled it a little too quietly. Crap, it sounded as if he was about to cry. He tried to hide his awkwardness with a charming smile – the one he was basically born with – and shrugged slightly. "Actually I came here because I have something for you." James said it a little more confidentially but all of it disappeared the moment Steve took a step forward.

Not only he was getting closer to Bucky but also was looking at him with furrowed brows. Okay, this confusion on his face looked extremely cute but what the best was about to happen. Rogers ran a hand through his – _oh my, how could Bucky not notice that before?_ – his wet hair. They were completely messed up and seemed a little darker and longer than Bucky thought they were. When he looked at Steve for another second he noticed that his skin was a little bit shiny. And he was wearing sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Yep, he was on the run and Bucky could die right there and then because God, sweaty Steve was incredibly hot. Wait, was he staring? Shit.

"Here… Here's a little gift for you." The dark-haired man reached out and handed the box to Rogers. He looked even more confused but managed to smile a little at Bucky anyway. He examined the package and his eyes stopped at the little piece of paper. At that moment, this little text didn't sound so good to Bucky. After a few seconds, Steve looked up at James with an open mouth.

"Bucky, you shouldn't…"

"But I wanted to and I did." James cut in before Steve could complain about it. Of course, he had to! "Could you just accept the gift, please?" Barnes looked at Steve with a hopeful smile on his face because someone – probably Tasha – told him it was impossible to say 'no' when he did that. The other man was looking at him for a second, then laughed and shook his head.

"That's crazy. But thank you, I'm sure I will love it. And remember that I still owe you coffee and something more." Steve took another step forward and Bucky was getting more and more aware of how broad his shoulders are. _What a sight!_

"Oh, C'mon, you owe me nothing. Coffee was terrible, it was me who destroyed your stuff and this thing here is a gift which means I don't want anything in return." Barnes shrugged and smiled reassuringly because he meant it.

"Any plans for tonight?" Steve asked him and holy hell, was he nervous? He tilted his head slightly and his smile almost completely disappeared. Instead, he nipped at his bottom lip. It was probably unintentional, kind of impulse, but the effect it had on James… He was suddenly out of breath and his lips parted slightly. He almost felt embarrassed because he never wanted to kiss someone so badly before. But somehow – and Bucky had no idea how – he managed to snap out of this and actually answer but he had to avoid looking at Steve's face.

"No, I just came back from work a few minutes ago."

"Would you like to come in? It's way too late for a coffee but we could talk and get to know each other since we're neighbors."

Okay, that was exactly what Bucky wanted. But maybe he wasn't ready for this yet. But what if it was his only chance? What if he refused and Steve would never ask again? Plus, he was okay with meeting new people but going into the place he wasn't familiar with was a lot for him. Wait, it's not like Rogers could hurt him physically. Ugh, shit.

"Yeah, sounds- sounds okay to me." James nodded and smiled before he lost that little bit of courage he had. Steve's face lightened up and he took yet another step towards his door. He unzipped a little pocket in his sweatpants and took out his keys. Bucky took a moment to check his look. Luckily, he was still wearing the white button-up shirt and his hair wasn't messed up yet. He was looking okay. Now he just had to keep his shit together and don't tell anything stupid.

Steve opened the door and smiled at Bucky inviting him inside. He walked in and took a quick look at the apartment. It was pretty simple and neat although Barnes noticed pencils laying around, he didn't consider it a mess. There was a huge bookshelf filled to the brim. Steve had an impressive collection and James nodded in appreciation. He turned around to look at Rogers because it was rude to just look around shamelessly.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be back in a sec." Said Rogers and went to the room which had to be his bedroom. Bucky – still a little uncomfortable – headed to the living room and sat on the couch which was bigger than his and quite comfortable. He noticed a sketchbook on the coffee table but didn't try to take a look at it so he just rested elbows on his knees and waited for Steve to come back.

"Would you like something to drink?" Buck turned around when he has heard a muffled voice and _thank God_ he did because he was lucky enough to see part of Steve's abs. The man was putting on a shirt and the edge of it rolled up for a second but it was enough to say that he had a _really nice_ body, not only arms. "I can offer you a tea, apple juice, water or hot chocolate and I've been said that I'm doing the best hot chocolate ever. So, what do you want?" The blonde man looked at Bucky with lips curled into the half-smile and the other man snickered.

"Okay, let me see if it's true, then." Steve had an open-planned kitchen just like Bucky, so he was able to watch him walking around and preparing the chocolate. "So how long have you been living here?" He started a casual conversation because staying silent might look suspicious and Barnes didn't want that. He wanted to stare at Steve's broad shoulders and… _Goddammit_!

"I don't know, about five years maybe. Yeah, something like that. Where do you work, if you don't mind me asking?" Rogers peered at him over the shoulder. Man, he was so polite...

"Playing piano in the restaurant."

"Wow, so you're a musician?" Steve turned around for a second and he looked and sounded surprised. "I'm impressed, really. I tried to play piano once and almost broke an arm." He joked lightheartedly and went back to cooking. Bucky chuckled quietly and ducked his head as he felt warmness spreading over his cheeks.

"I used to think it was difficult too. But whenever I wanted to give up my grandma would hug me and say _'Don't give up, James. It's already in your heart, you just have to feel it.'_. She was right, I guess." When Bucky said this, Steve turned around with two cups in his hands.

"James?" The blonde man tilted his head slightly. Barnes needed a few seconds to understand what he meant. Right, he introduced himself as Bucky Barnes.

"Yeah, that's my name. Bucky is my nickname, short from my second name. I guess I just said it unconsciously. But you can call me James or Bucky, whichever you want." He explained with a little embarrassment. How could he introduce himself with a nickname? But luckily Steve was nice enough not to dwell on it.

"So how old were you when you started to play the piano?"

"About eight years old, I think. Parents told me that I was always fascinated when my grandma was playing so she started to teach me." Steve finally took two cups in his big hands and walked towards Bucky with a little smirk on his face. He was trying to stay focused so he wouldn't spill the chocolate so James went silent too. He passed the cup to Bucky and sat on the couch next to him. The dark haired man took a deep breath and sweet smell hit his senses. Rogers was looking at him with a huge grin and waited for Barnes to take a sip. So he did.

"What you think?" Steve asked impatiently but James was too overwhelmed to answer immediately. He felt as if he was melting thanks to this celestial hot drink. He took another sip and closed his eyes to focus on the taste. He didn't even care that Steve was still watching him. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." James murmured softly and looked at Rogers who had a pleased smile on his gorgeous face. "Seriously, it changed my life. Where did you learn this?"

"From my mom. Her hot chocolate was even better than this one." The blonde man wrapped his fingers around the cup and took a sip. He looked so adorable with tousled hair and Bucky wanted to remember this look forever. Has he obsessed already? Maybe. But it was way too beautiful to just erase it from memory. "So you're an artist. You're drawing, right?"

"I wouldn't call myself an artist. It's just my hobby, not an occupation. But yeah, I'm drawing a lot, doing this since I was a little kid." Even if Steve shrugged as if it was nothing, his face lightened up and Bucky would have to be blind not to notice that.

"But I bet you're great at it. I mean, after all these years and practice you have to be." Steve blushed a little – why the hell _everything_ about this man had to be beautiful or adorable? – and shrugged again.

"I could show you some drawings. I mean if you want to, of course."

"If you don't mind then I would love to." James smiled with excitement because it was another chance to learn something more about Rogers. The blonde man put his cup on the coffee table and got up from the couch. He walked towards another room again and Bucky's gaze followed him.

After about two minutes Steve came back with huge sketchbook in his hands. Barnes took another sip of his hot chocolate and put down the cup as well. Instead of sitting back on his place Rogers stood behind James and handed him the sketchbook. The other man took it gingerly because he didn't want to destroy another one. Steve leaned forward behind him and Bucky had to try _really_ _hard_ to ignore the fact that he could feel his warm breath hitting the skin on his neck. So he opened the sketchbook to distract himself and started to browse the pages. The drawings were mainly buildings, nature, monuments, and animals and James loved every single one of them. They were so realistic and beautiful that Bucky was staring at them open-mouthed. And he almost completely forgot about Steve who was closer than ever. He loved every drawing equally until he saw one that stole his heart. It was a big fountain surrounded by trees and little benches. It was the drawing that Steve was working on when Bucky saw him for the first time. _The work of art._ The realism of it was blowing James' mind.

"If you're not an artist then I don't know who is. Seriously, Steve, _this_ is the art." Bucky's voice was oddly quiet, he was almost whispering.

"They're not bad, I guess." Steve said it with a voice as soft as James' but there was a hint of joy in it. Was he smiling? Bucky sighed because he didn't want to risk turning his head and having their lips _way_ too close. Not that _he_ would mind, but maybe Steve would…

"Stop being so modest. They're beautiful, I've never seen anything like that." Was Bucky still talking about the drawings? Yes, of course, he was. But he couldn't help thinking that Steve was just like his drawings: beautiful, special, _breathtaking_.

"So… You like them?"

"Yeah, I do. Especially this one, I think it's my favorite so far." James gently touched the paper sheet with fingertips as if he tried to somehow feel the water pouring down the fountain, leaves moving slightly, warm wind and sun rays touching his skin.

"Do you know this place?" Rogers asked him with the soft voice and it sounded like a beautiful melody. It was smooth and sweet with a little huskiness hiding deep in it. James did the only thing he was able to, he nodded in agreement. "Sometimes when I have no inspiration, I'm just going there and relaxing a little bit. There's something special about this place, you know?"

"Yeah" Bucky mumbled quietly but even if he was a little absentminded, he meant it. _It was special to him._ He closed his eyes for a second just to see it again, to see the picture of Steve sitting there like he was part of the landscape and the separate masterpiece at the same time.

Damn, why the hell was Bucky acting this way? Why was he thinking things like that? He was a romantic, that was undeniable. But why was he thinking like this about Steve? Steve – the incredibly beautiful neighbor who talked to him for a second time in their whole lifetime? He shouldn't, he couldn't do it. He didn't want his heart broken again. But his heart was a reckless piece of shit and it just didn't let Bucky stop. It was whispering irrational things to him, making him feel… _differently_. James Barnes had no control over himself, over his mind and his heart.

But somehow he took control over his body and managed to close Steve's sketchbook. It was the symbolic ending of this magical moment. Maybe Rogers felt that too because he straightened up and Bucky no longer felt his breath on the skin. He just stood there behind the couch so Bucky handed him the sketchbook with a smile.

"Your drawings are really great, Steve." James said it and the blonde man answered with that lovable smile of his and went to his room again.

As soon as he disappeared, Bucky looked away and his face froze in an indefinite grimace. He whispered few curses under his breath and closed his eyelids. Barnes got out of the many difficult situations in his life but this one… He couldn't get out of this one without help. Natasha and Clint wanted his happiness, but they also encouraged him to go with the flow and let himself catch feelings. His parents? They supported most of Bucky's decisions, loved him unconditionally. But they would try to convince him that the things he was feeling weren't bad at all, actually, they were good for him. James loved them all, these four were the most important people in his life. And somehow he _knew_ they were right. But he felt like it wasn't what he needed. He needed to snap out of it; to get rid of every single thought he had about Steve, every emotion evoked by him. He needed to regain control over himself, he needed that so bad.

 _But did h want these things?_

When Steve came back to the living room, James grabbed his cup from the table and flashed his usual smile at him as if he wasn't lost in thoughts a few seconds ago.

 **So... Did you like it? Did it make any sense?**

 **What do you think about Steve?**

 **Share your thoughts and opinions on this chapter. It gives me a lot of motivation to write and makes me happy :)**

 **See you next time!**


	6. Cheap wine

**Hey, guys! I was trying to make this chapter light and maybe a little bit fun.**

 **But still, I think I should warn you that this chapter contains a mild reference to sexual content - nothing big, I hope it won't be triggering for any of you. There's NO explicit description of sexual intercourse, nothing scandalous (I think so) - it's just a mild reference during the conversation between the characters.**

 **I hope you're okay with that and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

James had a day off so he could do anything he wanted… including drinking wine at 2 pm while watching Botched. It was a perfect way to spend the day. Okay, maybe not perfect but Bucky really needed that. The only way to relax that Bucky could think of was to spend the whole day without worrying about your job, responsibilities or… other inconveniences. So he turned off his alarm, woke up late, ordered Mexican food for dinner and went to the nearest liquor store to buy three bottles of wine. He wasn't planning on drinking it all by himself, obviously. Natasha and Clint texted him asking if they could come around later so they would accompany him. But James wasn't in a bad mood, no matter how much it seemed like it. He wasn't in a bad mood or good mood… He was in a mood to drink wine and watch TV, and maybe hang out with his friends.

He was glad when he finally heard someone unlocking the door because it could be only one person. Well, two actually. James turned off the TV and drank what was left in his glass before getting off the couch to greet his friends.

"Happy anniversary, lovebirds!" Said Bucky as Natasha walked into his apartment with a huge smile on her lovely face. She walked towards James and hugged him tightly. "Oh my, someone is affectionate today." James chuckled but hugged her back as tightly as she did.

"I'm always affectionate when it comes to my two favorite men. How are you?" They pulled away and Bucky looked around with confusion.

"Wait, where is Clinton?"

"Had to go to work, something came up. But he's gonna join us as soon as he can, don't worry." Romanoff explained and shrugged slightly. Well, Bucky was expecting Barton to come with Natasha but he was going to be late and it wasn't so bad at all.

"Uh-oh, so it's a perfect opportunity for you to share all the details about last night. And by 'all' I mean only these details that my innocent ears and mind can handle." James headed towards the kitchen to grab the bottle of wine and gave it to Natasha who gladly accepted it. He didn't even bother getting her a glass because drinking straight from the bottle wasn't anything new to them – they used to do this a lot, actually.

"Stop pretending that you're so innocent. You think that anyone who knows you pretty well would ever believe you? If you do, you're wrong, so wrong." Tasha looked at her friend disapprovingly before she took a few sips and didn't even blink. Then she passed the bottle back to Bucky and went to take a seat on the couch. The dark-haired man followed her and lied down with the head on her lap. She seemed to be deep in her thoughts but still put her fingers in his hair unconsciously.

"So? How was it?" Natasha took a deep breath and little smile appeared on her lovely face.

"Well, I came back from work and Clint was waiting for me in a suit. He gave me the first gift – a black dress. I have no idea how did he manage to choose one because it's beautiful and it fits perfectly! So I changed and went back to the living room where Clint was waiting for me with this incredibly romantic dinner he made all by himself and overcooked chocolate cake you help him with." Redhead chuckled lightly and ruffled Bucky's hair playfully. "Yeah, I know you helped him. He could cook the dinner because I taught him but baking? Don't worry, it's cute that you helped him with our anniversary and the cake was good anyway. So I guess I should thank you as well because we had the incredible evening. I think it was the best date we've ever had."

"But?" Bucky looked at Natasha with an arched eyebrow because he could easily tell that there was something bothering her. At first, she looked at him, trying to look confused so he simply sighed. "There's something more, I can see it and feel it. Is it a disappointment?" Finally, Romanoff groaned loudly and threw head back. Then she reached out and took the bottle from Bucky's hand. She took a few gulps and this time some kind of grimace appeared on her face but it was not connected to the alcohol.

"I was kind of hoping… I don't know, it's stupid but I was thinking that maybe he- that he would propose." Redhead mumbled under her breath. Her frustration was visible so James decided to hold her hand for a while so she knew that he was taking it seriously. But deep inside his head he was high-fiving himself and screaming 'I told you so!' in Clint's face. Tasha took a deep breath and decided to continue. "No, but honestly? If he won't put the ring on my finger before my birthday I swear to God, I'm proposing to you and we're getting married like we were planning to do." James laughed and Nat smiled too.

Well, he couldn't tell her that he gave Clint the talk about engagement the day before and he wouldn't tell Barton that she was hoping for a proposal last night. He just had to be patient with both of them and pray that they would do something as soon as possible.

"Don't worry, Tasha. Maybe it's a good thing that he didn't propose last night? You know, this way you can have two wonderful dates instead of one. Not like you two are not having dates without any occasion but, you know… Anniversary date and proposal date are really special and I think it's better if they're two separate things."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Natasha nodded with approval. Yup, that was pretty smart and Bucky had a reason to be proud of himself. Also, if only he could tell Clint about their conversation then he would owe him something for calming Natasha down. But sadly, he couldn't so he took the bottle of wine from Romanoff's hand, propped himself up on the elbow and took a few sips. "But enough about me. So I've heard some news this morning. Something about this cute man named Steve Rogers."

"Of course, he had to tell you…" James sighed because honestly, what else was he expecting? Barton was way too excited about this whole thing about Steve to keep his mouth shut. But this way Bucky had no way to get out of this without telling Natasha everything. Yeah, Clint did this on deliberately.

"Oh, C'mon! Tell me!"

So he did. James told her everything about his first real meeting with Steve Rogers, every single detail about it. He didn't even hesitate before he started to ramble about how beautiful this man was. Yeah, he said that to her many times before but he was never going to stop. And Natasha was more than happy to listen to him. She was taking in every word with a smile on her face, her fingers still playing with Bucky's hair – like they used to do whenever there were just the two of them and they talked. Barnes even told her about the conversation about Steve that he had with Clint the other day. Obviously, Natasha agreed with every single word her boyfriend said. She even told that Steve and James would be this super-cute-hot-power-couple and it made Bucky blush.

He couldn't help it, this thought just appeared out of nowhere and it was too loud to ignore. So Bucky let himself imagine, let himself wonder how would they look like as the couple. Would Rogers hold his hand most of the time the way Bucky liked it? Would he look at Bucky out of the corner of his eye and smile a little bit the same way James would? Would he like the way Barnes randomly kissed his cheeks or his neck? Would he come over just to cuddle all night and wake up with a kiss and this gorgeous smile of his?

And maybe it was the wine or the fact that Natasha was right next to him – doesn't matter what caused it but for once, James Barnes let himself think about all these things and didn't feel guilty at all. He let himself think about having someone – someone who loved you unconditionally – by his side. And holy hell, it felt incredibly good.

When Clint had finally joined them Bucky was brave enough to tell them all about his evening. He told them about the gift he bought for Steve and both Natasha and Clint agreed it was really sweet of him to do this. He told them how good Rogers was looking with his hair completely messed up and sweat glistening on his skin. He told them how nervous he was when he agreed to hang out in Steve's apartment. He even told them about this incredible hot chocolate and about the drawings he saw. But one thing he didn't tell them about was this little magical moment between Steve and James when they were so close to each other that Bucky could feel the other man's breath on his neck. He didn't mention that even after all these thoughts he had after the conversation with Tasha. But he told them that he stayed at his place till 1:30 am because talking with Steve felt… just right. And he told his friends how nice, funny, smart and kind this man was.

Clint and Natasha were just exchanging looks and smiles when Bucky was talking. Then they were staring at their friend again but these grins never disappeared from their faces. None of them made the comment about how obvious James' affection was. They didn't try to convince him that Steve felt the same way. They just let him talk because nothing else mattered then. Their support was all that Bucky needed. And even if he knew exactly what they were thinking all this time, so what?

The time he had spent with Steve Rogers… It was what it was, Bucky didn't have control over this and neither have Nat nor Clint. If Steve and James both wanted this to be the first step towards something more – it would be great. If they wanted this to be the day when their friendship began – it would be great too.

It was already past 6 pm and Natasha, Clint, and Bucky were lying on the floor in the living room – like they always did at some point when they were hanging out. They drank all three bottles of wine and decided to watch some movies but James was the only one who actually was watching. Tasha was looking at the TV from time to time but mainly focused on her phone. And Clint… Clint wasn't even trying to watch. He was lost in his thoughts all the time. Finally, after an hour or so, he sat up suddenly and his action caught Bucky's attention.

"So you said that Steve is really nice and sweet, right?" He asked out of nowhere but the look in his eyes made it pretty obvious that he had a lot to say. Barnes nodded with furrowed brows and Nat tilted her head with interest. "Do you think he's Top or Bottom? Because if he's Bottom too, it would be really awkward." James looked at his friend with mouth wide open in shock. He could feel his skin burning as it was turning red. Was he serious? Bucky was waiting for Clint or Natasha to burst out laughing but it didn't happen. He put his shoulders over his face and groaned in embarrassment.

"First of all, we don't know if he's into men, okay? And second, I don't even wanna know why the hell you think I'm Bottom." Second these words left Bucky's mouth Natasha sat up too and looked him in the eye.

"Let's face it, sweetheart. You definitely are Bottom. I know you more than anyone – maybe even more than you. It is pretty obvious that you're incredibly hot Bottom." Romanoff shrugged as if she was just discussing the weather, not Bucky's sex life. "Oh, and thought you would like to know… I found Steve on Tinder a few minutes ago. Wanted to tell you immediately but you were too busy watching this movie for the hundredth time. It's official – Steve Rogers is not only hot, smart and kind but he's single and bisexual too." Natasha announced proudly and this information made Clint cheer loudly.

But James? James sat up slowly with his lips still parted. He was staring blankly at his own legs and didn't even know how to react. Should he be happy? Should he be disappointed because Steve was actually using this dumb app? Should he be grateful that Natasha found his account or pissed off because she did that?

"Why- Why, the hell, were you looking for him on Tinder, Tasha?" He chose to be shocked. He looked at his friend which started to get a little bit confused by his reaction.

"Aren't you happy that he's single and into men? James, I was just curious. I promise I didn't stalk him on Twitter or Facebook… yet." Redhead's voice was soft and kind of apologetic. She touched his shoulder gently and this made him snap out of the shock. His lips curled into a huge smile as he reached out for the phone.

"Give it to me." Nat smiled too and handed him her phone. She sat right behind Bucky to look from behind his shoulder at Steve's profile on Tinder and Clint did the same.

"Should I be worried that you have an account on Tinder, honey?" The blonde man asked and his girlfriend chuckled lightly because they both knew it was a joke.

James looked at the phone screen. He felt excitement and nervousness. Was it too much to check out his profile? Nah, if he didn't want people to check it out, he wouldn't sign up in the first place. Apparently Steven – why did he use Steven instead of Steve? – was 29 years old. His hobbies were history and art. He described himself as the open-minded, sociable, hardworking, passionate and bisexual guy who likes sports. James looked at the profile photo. It was Steve sitting on the ground with multiple colorful paint stains on his hands and clothes and maybe a few on his face. He was smiling, probably even laughing. His beard was barely visible and his hair was messed up a little bit but still looked great. He was holding something – it looked like paint palette and probably it was because he had paint all over his body. There was even green handprint on his shoulder, smudged a little but still visible. His blue eyes were almost closed but he most certainly wasn't looking in the camera's direction. It was pretty obvious that he did not pose for the photo, it was taken by surprise and this fact made it even better.

Wasn't he the most beautiful and precious person in this Universe?

"Agree, he looks great on this photo. Probably one of the best looking men I've ever seen." Oh shit, did Bucky said it out loud? Gosh, what an embarrassment. But on the other hand, Clint agreed with him so it was the natural reaction to looking at this picture. James gave Natasha her phone and they went back to their previous positions but this time they were just sitting.

"But back to your question, Clint. Yeah, Steve can be a very nice man but he has this kind of look in his eyes… And he has really nice, muscled arms and big hands. He looks like he's- he's definitely Top." Natasha said this with the thoughtful expression on her face as if she was thinking about this a lot. Maybe she did – hell, Bucky didn't want to know whether she did or not. It was already embarrassing enough.

"Tasha, stop." James gasped hiding face behind his hands but the quiet giggle escaped his mouth.

"I mean, I can definitely see him as Top, maybe even dominant type. Yeah, he has this kind of look- this dominant look, doesn't he?" Despite Bucky was mumbling for her to stop, he was still chuckling and listening to her every word. "Oh, maybe he even likes it rough or kinky? Who knows? Do you think he has the choking kink? Because with these hands…"

"Please, I'm the only person here who's not into men. Can we stop discussing Steve's sex preferences now? Please?" Clint practically begged and his face was just as reddish as Bucky's. But James was blushing by suppressing laughter and only a little thanks to the embarrassment. Clint, on the other hand, was very uncomfortable and distressed. This made Bucky laugh even more.

"Why, is it bothering you? Do you have a different opinion? I mean, maybe I'm wrong and Steve is a submissive type, who knows?"

"Tasha!"

"What? You started it, you asked if he was Top or Bottom! Now you have to accept the consequences, Clinton." Romanoff laughed at her boyfriend who was looking at her with pure horror in his eyes. Barnes snickered, shook his head and started to get up slowly. "But anyway, our not-so-little James would handle him either way, wouldn't you sweetheart?" Natasha giggled as Bucky looked at her and gasped loudly.

"Romanoff, I swear to God, you're the most despicable creature in the Universe! No more cheap wine for you ever again."

 **So... What do you think? Was it okay?**

 **We have Natasha talking about her date (the one that Bucky helped Clint with in Ch4, I think), James told his friends more about Steve (is he finally getting comfortable with his crush on him?) and they're having a good time together.**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter. I was planning to do this differently but it turned out to be too difficult - I hope that changing it wasn't a mistake.**

 **Let me know what you think, your opinions are giving me the motivation to write and making me smile!**

 **Till the next time!**


	7. Not a big deal

**Hello, lovely people! How do you feel about another chapter of James and Steve _casually_ hanging out?**

 **Because I sure did enjoy writing it!**

 **Hope you'll like it, enjoy :)**

James was slowly mixing the sauce with the wooden spoon, his feet tapping on the floor to the rhythm of the music playing quietly in the background. He had no clue what the hell had gotten into him but he didn't mind it either.

He was oddly cheerful from the moment he woke up. He put on some sweatpants, ate a quick breakfast, played the piano for an hour or so, then started to cook a dinner. That's the catch – he was in the mood for cooking only when he was upset. But he wasn't – if anything he was the complete opposite of upset. Somehow he was enjoying mixing ingredients more than ever. And he was humming under his breath all the time – it was a little bit more like him, he was the musician after all, but it was still weird. And this little smile plastered on his face whole time? It was the oddest thing about this morning but Bucky didn't even bother to think about it. He could worry later, now he just wanted to enjoy it.

He had just finished preparing the sauce and turn off the cooker when his phone rang. James looked at the clock in the living room, it was almost 1 am. Natasha and Clint were at work, Quill would never call him, Darcy probably woke up a few minutes ago. Who could be calling him? His parents? No, he talked to them the day before and they were too busy to call him more than once a week. He grabbed the phone from the coffee table and after glancing at the screen, accepted the call without hesitation.

"Steve, hey! What's up?" James grinned widely even if Rogers couldn't see it – or maybe he smiled mainly because he couldn't see it. Yes, he had Steve's number and Steve had his. They exchanged them when Bucky was leaving Rogers' place two days ago. But James was more than surprised – and pleased – that Steve had called him so soon.

"Hi, um- I hope I'm not disturbing anything?" The blonde man mumbled hesitantly on the other end and it almost made Bucky laugh. He immediately imagined how this tall, muscled, big guy was hunching slightly and rubbing his neck – that was his little impulse whenever he was even a little bit nervous about something. It didn't happen a lot when they were hanging out lately because they kept their conversation lighthearted but still, Bucky noticed Steve doing it once or twice.

"No, of course not. So what is it?"

"So I didn't have time to open the gift from you earlier. But I opened it now and wanted to let you know it's fucking awesome. Honestly, you didn't have to give me anything, especially these things. I mean, they're great, the best actually so thank you so much. Fuck, I'm feeling so weird about this- about receiving the gift from you without any occasion."

"Stop it, I'm glad you liked it. Can't wait to see what you can do with these things." Bucky sat down on the couch and bit his cheeks to stop the smile from appearing on his face – and he failed miserably.

"But I should kick your ass, James, and you know why." Steve said it in way more confident and accusing tone. Bucky furrowed his eyebrows because _no, he didn't know why_ but Steve continued before he got a chance to ask. "It was way too much, James. Trust me, I'm fully aware of how much you paid for it and it wasn't cheap at all. Seriously, Buck? Not only you bought a gift – which you shouldn't have bought – but also it was fucking expensive. How am I gonna repay for it?" Steve sighed deeply on the other side and James rolled his eyes. _He couldn't just accept the gift, could he?_

"You won't repay me for anything, Rogers. Especially for the gift because I already gave it to you and you have to keep it, understood? Besides, it wasn't expensive, stop worrying about it." Bucky shrugged even if Steve wasn't able to see this. Okay, it wasn't cheap either but it was the best stuff in the store! And Barnes felt like spending some money – he wasn't super rich but he could afford to buy these things without worrying about the price.

"Really? And you expect me to believe that? Bucky, I've been into art for years, I know how much it costs. So I'm gonna give you your money back, no discussion."

"No, Steve, don't even try to do this. As I said, I didn't pay that much, okay? I'm glad you liked it and you have to keep it. Let me reap the satisfaction of a successful purchase." Steve was silent for a minute or so but then sighed. Bucky wished that he could see his face then. He wanted to know if he was still a little bit annoyed or was there a hint of amusement on his face? Maybe he was smiling a little bit? "Please? Pretty please."

" _James_ …" Steve's voice was incredibly soft and sweet when he said – well, almost whispered – his name and Bucky almost melted. Instead, he slid lower on the couch and exhaled with slight difficulty.

 _Get your shit together, get your shit together, get your shit – just get your goddamn shit together, Barnes!_

"Fine, but don't think I will ever forget about this, okay? And you better let me repay you one way or another." Steve's voice went back to normal but Bucky still needed a moment to get the way he said his name out of his head _. If this asshole Steve only knew what effect it had on Bucky…_

"Actually, there's this little thing you could do… If you're free now."

"Anything, shoot."

 _Okay, Buck, no turning back now. You had enough courage to say anything, now you gotta keep it together and roll with it._

"So I was cooking the dinner when you called me but I'm sure I've made way too much of it anyway. So would you like to come over for a dinner? I have work later but I still have a few hours left." James bit his lips to somehow stop the nervousness creeping in _. It was too much, wasn't it?_ Of course, it was, hell, what was he even thinking? The fact that Steve was still silent didn't help at all. Bucky was ready to hang up, change his phone number and move to Europe to avoid the embarrassment when Rogers finally answered.

"And how is it the way to repay you if you're the one who made the dinner?"

"Well, I wouldn't be eating alone and feel a little less pathetic and you would pretend it tastes good. Isn't it a good deal?" Steve laughed – and probably shook his head too – which made Bucky smile too _. It was a good sign, right?_

"Okay, give me a minute." Steve said and hanged up before Bucky got a chance to think. The widest smile slowly crept on his face and he had to put the pillow over his head to stop himself from screaming like a teen girl.

 _Okay, chill, it's not a big deal, right?_ Just… Steve coming over for a dinner, that's exactly the same as Natasha visiting him when he cooked way too much. They would just eat, talk a little bit. Then Steve would probably whine about repaying Bucky and he would try to shut him up. Then he would be alone at his place again, getting ready for work. _Not. A big. Deal._

But when he had heard the doorbell ring a few minutes later, his heart stopped for a second. He was just putting down cutlery but he had to check if the chicken was ready and everything suddenly felt so stressful.

"Doors are open!" James yelled loud enough for Steve – hopefully, it was him – to hear on the other side. Bucky himself went back to the kitchen to keep himself busy with cooking. Obviously, he wouldn't be Bucky Barnes if he didn't touch hot pot in the process.

"You have a nice place, it's simple but still really nice." Steve said as soon as the door closed behind him. Bucky had to try hard not to let out a squeal when he had felt the skin on his hand burn. _Shit, it really hurt!_ He simply murmured in response with his teeth clenched tight. "Need some help?" James was startled when Steve appeared in the kitchen without making a sound – how the man like him managed to move _so quietly_?

"I'm almost done, I'm fine. Just take a seat, I was just about to take out the chicken from the stove." James rumbled and managed to smile at Rogers to be more convincing but his hand hurt _like a bitch_ and Bucky wasn't even surprised when Steve shook his head slightly amused.

The blonde man put down the paper bag he was apparently holding on the counter and came to James without hesitation. He turned on the tap and put a finger in the water to check the temperature as James was watching his every move attentively.

"Can I?" Steve looked at Bucky's hand – the one he had burned – then at his face, looking for an approval. James nodded and smiled gratefully. Rogers grabbed his hand gently – doing his best not to cause him any pain – and put the burned skin under a stream of cold water.

Bucky _tried to_ ignore how nice it felt when Steve was touching his hand so gently and carefully, how his skin felt against Buck's. Instead, he _tried to_ focus on the way water was easing his pain. He _tried_ – and failed because he was too aware of how close Steve was standing not to think about it. And James hadn't felt so small in a long time – small in a good kind of way – with this broad and tall figure standing right next to him. Bucky glanced at Steve from the corner of his eye. His brows were furrowed and there was pure concentration on his face. He was looking at Bucky's burned skin as if he was waiting for the redness to disappear from his hand. He was truly concerned with Bucky's wellbeing and it made James feel warmness spreading in his chest. He let himself lift one corner of his mouth in a smile and quickly turned his gaze away.

"Thanks, it's not that bad, I guess. Only stings a little." He smiled gratefully at Steve who returned the gesture and stepped back before turning off the tap. The blonde man put hands in the pockets of his jeans as if he didn't know what to do with them without Bucky's ha- _Oh, hell no!_ He put hands in the pockets of his jeans, _that's it, for fuck's sake!_ "I think I have some remedy for burns in the cabinet, let me grab it. And you should take a seat, dinner is almost ready." James quickly walked around Steve and headed to the bathroom. He rolled his eyes at himself- his own thoughts as soon as was out of Steve's sight.

"I hope you like cheesecake because I bought some for dessert." Rogers called after him and it made Bucky stop and turn around quickly.

"Cheesecake from this bakery across the street?" He asked and the other man nodded in confirmation. Bucky smiled and purred pleasantly. "Man, I love their cheesecake! Honestly, I would sell my soul for it." James' words evoked a chuckle from Steve – and this little thing was making him a little bit proud of himself.

He went to the bathroom and searched through the cabinet to find what he needed. When he finally did, he applied the gel on his scarlet-colored skin and went back to the living room where Steve was sitting at the table, watching Bucky's every move – _not unnerving, not at fucking all, Rogers._ He tried his best to walk casually, acting like he didn't give a shit about these blue eyes that didn't seem to leave him.

"I like your tattoo. Is there any story behind it?"

"Thanks, it's the- _Wait,_ fuck." James immediately stopped talking when he realized something. Steve liked his tattoo and he had only one. And it was on his ribs and it meant that… "Shit, I'm sorry. Kind of forgot I was walking around shirtless. Sorry again." Bucky turned red and didn't even try to hide it from Steve this time. God, he was so embarrassed! Seriously, more than ever. He didn't even look in Steve's direction.

"It's okay, really. It's not a problem, _I don't mind_." Rogers tried to calm James down but he was already on his way towards the bedroom to get dressed. _What a great failure he was, oh God_. And as if he wasn't embarrassed enough, he almost walked into the couch. "Hey, easy there. We don't want you to get hurt, do we?" Steve said softly and by the little noise in the background, Bucky could tell that he got up from his seat to provide assistance to Barnes. The dark-haired man just waved his hand a little as if he tried to tell Steve not to worry about him and disappeared in the bedroom. He needed a moment to even his breath so he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

 _Wait, what?_

Did Steve – _single and bisexual Steve_ – just told him that he didn't mind James walking around shirtless? Oh, wow. It definitely was… _something_. And he liked Bucky's tattoo which meant he _was_ looking. _Okay, don't flatter yourself, Barnes._ He saw a tattoo, he's an artist so it's obvious that he would look at it. _Not. A big. Deal._

After Bucky had put a shirt on – and apologized Steve one more time – they ate the dinner. They were having a casual conversation all the time, joking, laughing and learning new facts about each other. Steve liked running in the night because the streets were less crowded and everything seemed so peaceful. As a child he wanted to be a soldier and serve for his country – this fact wasn't even surprising, Steve seemed like someone who would do this. Bucky told him about how he used to dream about being a sailor until it turned out that he had a seasickness. Steve told him the story about how he almost got expelled from the college after his best friend got him wasted the night before the really important exam and he had to take it even if he was still a little bit drunk. James even told him the story about how he almost killed his classmate when he was nine – poor kid was allergic to peanuts and didn't tell Bucky about it when he offered him his favorite cookies with nut cream.

"So what's the story behind your tattoo?" Steve asked and nodded towards Barnes' chest.

"It's the first measure of the song that my parents danced together for the first time to. At least that's the song they told me about."

"Really? That's sweet. Actually, I wasn't expecting that." Rogers was a little surprised but seemed to really like the idea.

"What about you? Have any tattoos?" Bucky asked curiously and tilted his head slightly. He liked the idea of ink on Steve's skin. It would suit him.

"Actually yeah, I have few. There's no story behind any of them but they all remind me of my mom somehow." His hand touched his collarbone absentmindedly which made Bucky think that he had one of his tattoos there. Maybe this one was the most important to him. James knew there was the story behind every single one of them – no matter how many he had – if they were reminding him of his mother. James would love to know more about them but he was respectful and didn't ask. It was way too private, they weren't at this point of connection where they could talk about their families.

"So what about your work? What are you doing for the living?"

"I'm museum tour guide, pretty boring, I know. But it's not that bad if you like history like I do. And you already know what I'm doing in my free time – drawing, drinking hot chocolate, exercising and hanging out with friends." Steve shrugged and smiled a little bit. "Actually, I've wanted to be a history teacher but couldn't find a job as one so I'm working at the museum."

"You kind of remind me of my history teacher from high school." James blurted it out with a smile huge smile on his face but he didn't think that these words would lead to the question.

"Oh, yeah? Why?"

Because Mr. Hawkes was incredibly handsome, smart, good-looking, funny and kind. Because he was one of the Bucky's favorite teachers. Because everyone – even straight boys – had a crush on him at some point and James was no different.

Bucky shrugged and tried his best to sound nonchalant and convincing.

"Because y'know, he was this cool, funny teacher." Steve giggled – yes fucking giggled and it was too adorable – at his words. He blushed a little – finally someone other than Bucky blushed – but ducked his head to hide it.

"Wow, Barnes, it was smooth as fuck. But thank you, nobody ever called me funny before." Rogers admitted as his smile slowly went from big grin to little but joyful smirk.

What, how was it possible that nobody told him he was funny?

"You're welcome, Rogers." Bucky shrugged and flashed a charming smile at the other man. Steve's face lightened up and he straightened on his seat with excitement.

"Any plans for this weekend?"

"Uhh, not really. I mean I'm working on Friday night and then I have a piano lesson with Warren's kid. And I will probably hang out with Nat and Clint on Sunday but other than that I have no plans." James furrowed his brows in confusion when Steve's smile widened at his words.

"Perfect. Would you like to hang out with me and couple of my friends on Saturday night? You should bring your friends, too. I would love to meet them, they seem so cool from everything you'd told me about them." Buck almost choked at this proposition. Whoa, that's kinda crazy. But Steve Rogers just invited James Barnes to hang out with him. Their friends would be there, too, but screw them – Steve invited him! "My best friends owns this club, Iron Legion and he keeps inviting us there every weekend demanding that we bring more people. It's a really nice place, tasty drinks, good atmosphere, great music to dance to…"

"And extremely fancy, too. Yeah, I've heard about Iron Legion, Steve." James looked at the other man skeptically. Hell, who didn't know this place? It was hard to get it, had a great reputation and was extremely expensive. But it had to be awesome if so many people were willing to pay.

"It's not that fancy as it seems. And don't worry about the money, Tony's friends and Tony's friends' friends are partying for free." Wait, Tony? Was he talking about Tony Stark? Was he friends with this guy? What the… "C'mon, James! Will you think about it, please?" Steve's eyes were big and his smile so innocent – was he giving Bucky puppy face? If the answer is yes, then it was the cutest puppy face Bucky had ever seen. He sighted – partly to show his resignation, partly to hide how pleased he was with this whole situation.

"I will think about it." James agreed and it made Steve smile wider and brighter.

"I'll text Tony right away and put your name on the VIP guest list. You can bring whoever you want, they will get it for free too as long as you're with them."

"What the hell" Bucky mumbled under his breath because really? VIP list? But Rogers seemed… happy that James agreed to this.

I couldn't be that bad. Barnes wasn't a big fan of crowded places but he liked to dance. He would bring Tasha and Clint along and they could have fun. And he would meet Steve's friends. And spend some time with Rogers himself. It had to be at least a little bit fun. And if Bucky didn't feel well, he could always go home.

What could go wrong?

Well, _everything_.

 **Okay, so can we take a moment to appreciate Steve taking care of James and James being complete softie - no, honestly, guys, was it okay?**

 **I liked this chapter (I always enjoy these softies together) but I'm still not sure - did YOU like it?**

 **Also, the end of the chapter is rushed, messy and well, it sucks but the thing is: I was pretty sure that I've finished writing it and then realized that I don't remember writing about the club yet. So I had to write it when I wasn't in my writing-mood.**

 **Please, let me know so I can improve my story somehow**

 **Till the next time!**


	8. Ex's & Oh's

GUESS WHO'S BACK Seriously, I was gone for a few months and I honestly hate myself for that. I'm so sorry if someone was waiting this long :( I started this story during my vacation and it was going great but then I had to start getting ready to school in August, then actual school started (and it's my senior year so it's quite serious), my life is a complete mess so writing this chapter took me MONTHS and it's not even good. But anyway, I'd love to continue this story and I will try to write from time to time. But for now, I have no clue when I will post a new chapter. BUT I'm always thinking about this story, I promise! That's enough whining for today. Get ready to read this... thing I wrote. Enjoy!

"I can't believe it's happening, it's so exciting!" Natasha squealed when she got out of the cab. Clint immediately grabbed her hand and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but Peter will kill us because we went to the club without him. And not just any club but _Iron Legion_!" James said and looked at all these people trying to get into this place.

"I wasn't talking about _this_. Of course, this is amazing too but I meant that meeting Steve is exciting." Tasha explained with a huge grin on her face. "That's so sweet that he invited you!"

" _Us_ , he invited us to meet his friends. What's so special about it?" Bucky shrugged but he felt his chest tightening. Why? There was only one thing about the whole evening that was remarkable and it was that place, not the reason they were there.

"Sure, said someone who spent forty minutes picking his outfit, changed six times and spent another thirty minutes styling his hair." Clint said jokingly as he rolled his eyes at Bucky's attempts to stay casual. Barnes sighed but couldn't help looking down at himself and checking his outfit once again. Romanoff had to notice this because she looked at Clint disapprovingly and smiled.

"But he looks _so_ good! His hair looks fabulous and look at his ass. James, darling, turn around. We want to admire how these jeans are clinging to your body." Natasha said this without hesitation but it wasn't a lie, Bucky knew she wouldn't do this.

"I never said he doesn't look good. How could he not? With this body and this face?" Barton added and Bucky rolled his eyes. He couldn't help cracking a smile and blushing a little bit. Well, if his friends weren't the cutest people then who was? They were constantly complimenting and encouraging Bucky and he loved it. Not because he liked to listen about how good-looking he was, no. He loved the fact that they were so supportive. Sometimes he really, really needed it.

"Okay, guys. You're looking smoking hot, both of you. But are we getting in or not?" James asked with a huge smile on his face. Clint looked at his girlfriend and smiled widely. And if people were emoji, he would definitely be heart-eyed one and it was melting Bucky's heart.

"Someone is getting impatient to see his man." Natasha teased and winked at Barnes. She took Barton's hand and turned towards the entrance. Bucky was getting more and more nervous every second. But he wanted to go in there, he really did so he simply walked towards two tall bodyguards who were standing in front of the entrance and making sure everything was going well. The three of them stopped in front of one of these muscled men and Bucky was already opening his mouth but the bodyguard spoke before he did.

"Get in the line, kids." He said without even giving them a second glance. At first, they were all shocked but snapped out of it because he was pretty sure that people will start staring at them soon.

"Yeah, okay, but we're on the list. I mean, I am and these two are my friends." Bucky explained and it made this tall man look down at him with raised eyebrows. "Steve Rogers invited us, he said I would be on the list." James added and swallowed heavily. They were looking kinda pathetic, trying to get in without standing in the line. But Steve clearly said to skip it and simply go to the bodyguard.

"Could you show me your ID?" The man asked him hesitantly and James nodded. Before he even had a chance to turn around, Tasha was already giving his ID to the bodyguard. She had his wallet in her purse because those jeans were way too tight to put something more than a phone into his pockets. "Well, follow me, sir. Mr. Stark and his friends are already there so I will lead you straight to them." The bodyguard's face expression softened up slightly as he gave Bucky's ID back to Tasha and nodded at them to go with him.

Okay, that was it. They were in The Iron Legion. He was there with his best friends. He was going to see Steve soon and meet his friends. He was going to meet Tony Stark, genius and billionaire. Tasha and Clint were going to officially meet Steve. Oh man, he was so damn stressed already! Bucky exhaled heavily and looked around him. They were walking through a long corridor. Walls were greyish and sparkling a little bit because of the glitter that was in the paint. They were totally using some kind of secret passage, VIP passage or something because they were the only people in there. Bucky turned his head around just to see Clint looking around with excitement and Natasha smiling like crazy. Whatever would happen that night, it would be still worth it. Barnes made his friends smile and it made him really happy. Grey corridor was coming to an end and there was a heavy-looking black door. The bodyguard stopped with his huge hand on the doorknob and looked at them.

"Mr. Stark and his friends are waiting for you in VIP lounge which is behind this door. I believe my assistance will no longer be necessary. I hope you will have a great night." The man said and smiled at them before opening the door.

"Thank you." James said and the bodyguard walked around them to get back to the entrance. With the door open, they could hear music but it wasn't loud. As Bucky walked through that door he noticed that the lounge and the rest of the club were separated with glass. He looked around after making sure that his friends were right behind him. There was the man – well, not just _any man_ but it was definitely Tony Stark – already walking in their direction. He was holding his wife's hand as she smiled at Bucky and his friends sweetly.

"Welcome in The Iron Legion a.k.a. my baby!" Mr. Stark exclaimed and waved his hand around with a proud smile on his face. The blonde woman giggled and stopped in front of Bucky.

"I'm Pepper. And you are James, I assume?" Tall woman said kindly and looked behind Bucky's shoulder. He snapped out of the shock he was in and turned around.

"Um, yeah. And these are my best friends, Natasha and Clint." The four of them smiled at each other but none of them made a move. Pepper was pretty intimidating. She was extremely nice but also beautiful and successful and it was making Bucky nervous as hell. But luckily Tony Stark had no problem with talking so he stopped the awkward moment.

"Alright, alright. James, you play the piano, right? I'm gonna call you _Brahms_. Both pianists, both have JB as initials. Yeah, that's fucking brilliant! And as for you, Lovebirds-" Stark walked over, put his hand on Bucky's shoulder and pointed at the couple next to him. "I know nothing about you so I'm not sure how should I call you. But I will figure something out!" Tony looked as if he was already trying to find nicknames for Nat and Clint. Pepper smiled at them apologetically and rolled her eyes at her husband's behavior.

"I hope Tony didn't offend you in any way." The tall blonde seemed really concerned about this matter and James found it really cute. She was extremely caring and kind. It was fascinating that someone so successful still had such a big heart. "That's just the way Tony is, you will get used to it. But I'm sorry anyway."

"Oh, don't worry about it. If anything _Bucky-Boo_ considered it a compliment, he used to be obsessed with Brahms when he was in college." Clint said and chuckled. Barnes just smiled and nodded his head because _yes_ , he had this phase when he was constantly listening and playing Brahms' compositions and he wasn't ashamed of it.

"What a relief, really. Anyway, I'm glad you came here tonight. Hope you will have a lot of fun. If you need anything, please just-"

"Steven! Stevie, my dear, here you are!" Tony exclaimed and it almost deafened Bucky because he was standing right next to him. But he just laughed and turn around to face the direction where Stark ran off.

Steve was walking their way, looking better than ever. Maybe it was about the lights in this place or maybe Bucky was just so excited that everything seemed better than ever. But it was hard to look away from Rogers. He was wearing a white button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves and black pants. His hair was messed up but running fingers through it was enough to make them look perfectly styled again. He had a huge smile on his gorgeous face as Stark ran up to him and he put his arm around his smaller friend's shoulders. They looked pretty funny together. Tony Stark wasn't very muscled nor incredibly tall which was the complete opposite of Steve Rogers. They were having a little conversation, laughing and smiling – well, it was mainly Steve who was smiling – all the time. Rogers looked so incredibly confident and Bucky realized that he was finding this pretty hot.

As if Steve didn't have him wrapped around his finger already…

"James! I'm so glad you made it!" The blonde man said it with such a joyful voice and it made Bucky smile like an idiot. "And you must be Natasha and Clint. I've heard so much about you!" Rogers put on the most charming smile he had – as if he wasn't charming enough already – and gently took Tasha's hand in his just to kiss it. Oh, wow, what a gentleman! Redhead smiled and looked at Bucky for a split second. He immediately knew what was going through her head. She was glad that Bucky had a crush on the man like Steve, it was obvious for him.

"Oh, really? Because we've heard nothing about you until James invited us to this party. Which is great, by the way, thanks for the invitation." Clint said with a little smile as he shook Rogers' hand. Oh my, Barton could've said so many things. He could've said that Bucky talked about Steve all the time. But instead, he decided not to. James definitely should start telling Clint how much he loves him more often because such a great friend definitely deserved it.

"Oh no, guys, it's nothing. Actually, I should be thanking you. I was getting worried that our golden boy had no other friends apart from me – and what a terrible way to live would it be!" Tony said dramatically and patted Steve's broad shoulders. "But turns out he did, in fact, met some decent people. My boy is growing up! Ah, come and join us at the table." Stark didn't even wait for anyone's response. He just put his arm around Pepper's waist and led them towards the table. Steve shook his head with amusement and waited until Tasha and Clint followed his friend so he could walk next to Bucky… or just walk, whatever.

"I'm really glad you and your friends came. They seem as great as you described them to me." Bucky looked at Steve who had a little smirk on his face. "I'm sure that Pepper had already said it but don't mind Tony's behavior. He's a little unpredictable."

"Really, it's okay. I think he's funny and I'm pretty sure that Nat and Clint would agree with me." James assured him with a smile on his face. Rogers nodded his head. They got to the table where two other people were sitting. One of them was a huge man, like really huge. He had a beard and blonde, shoulder-length hair. He had a boyish grin on his face and stood up as they all approached the table. The other one was a woman with dark skin and long black hair pulled up in some kind of ponytail with braids on her head. She was incredibly beautiful even without a smile on her face.

"Guys, meet my neighbor James and his friends, Natasha and Clint." Steve mentioned at his guests as Pepper and Tony sat down on the sofa. "And these are Thor and Brunhilde."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Thor flashed a smile at them and Bucky couldn't help thinking he looked like a huge puppy. Brunhilde still didn't smile, she just raised her glass and nodded at them. Steve pointed at the sofa, suggesting Bucky to sit down next to her and he did so. Natasha and Clint were already sitting on the other side of the table and both of them were chatting with Pepper and Tony with smiles on their faces. Oh wow, how Bucky wished to be such a sociable person. But luckily for him, others at the table were more confident and comfortable with starting a conversation. Thor leaned towards Bucky and smiled kindly.

"So how long have you known each other? I mean you and Steve."

* * *

About two hours later Bucky didn't even remember how nervous he was about meeting Steve's friends. They were all extremely welcoming, talkative and funny. Tony was making everyone laugh with his jokes. Pepper was charming and was always making sure everyone had what they wanted. Brunhilde was definitely talking less than others and was more sarcastic than them but she never tried to upset anyone with her words. Natasha and Clint were getting along with everyone there and Bucky did too but if he had to choose his favorite Steve's friend – he would pick Brunhilde. That's why they ended up sitting next to each other, talking and drinking beer. James couldn't help nodding his head to the rhythm because he had to admit – music in this place was freaking amazing. He felt like dancing but Natasha was nowhere to be found. She had been on the dancefloor with Clint for at least one hour and Bucky didn't want to go there and interrupt just because he wanted to dance with his bestie. Pepper was nice, sure, but she was way too intimidating to just go and ask her if she would dance with him. Plus, it was hard for Steve and even Tony to drag her to the dancefloor and she had known them for so long. Thor wasn't even an option. He said he was a terrible dancer and Barnes didn't have a reason not to believe him. Stark… Well, Tony was Tony – walking around, drinking, partying like there's no tomorrow – so Bucky didn't even consider asking him. Could he ask a freaking billionaire to dance with him?! No, not happening, never. Dancing with Steve could be nice, James wouldn't mind that – of course, he wouldn't. If anything, he would enjoy it especially considering that Rogers seemed more confident than usually – and man, if it wasn't the hottest thing ever… So yeah, James sadly crossed Steve out of his imaginary list. One of the best songs to dance to was playing and Barnes almost ran out of options… _Almost_.

"Hey, would you like to dance with me?" He asked before he got a chance to change his mind. Brunhilde looked at him a little bit surprised but also amused and Bucky was pretty sure that he made a complete fool out of himself. But she put her empty glass down on the table and stood up. James smiled widely and did the same. He made two steps backward and waited for her to join him.

"I love this song." She said with a little smirk on her face and nodded at Bucky to move towards the dancefloor.

"Really? Me too!" The dark-haired man answered with excitement.

"But you know that I'm lesbian, right?" Brunhilde looked at him and stopped walking for a second. Bucky shrugged because he didn't know it but somehow it wasn't even surprising for him.

"And I'm gay. Can we go and dance now, please?"

Few songs later they ended up sitting at the bar, drinking shots, joking and laughing. Hilde was a really fun person to hang out with, especially at the party like this. Tony joined them three times and Bucky caught a glance of Tasha and Clint on the dancefloor few times. But apart from these few times Stark was around, it was just the two of them. After an hour or so they decided to order drinks and go back to the lounge and hang out with others. But Barnes quickly learned that it wasn't such a good idea.

As soon as they walked up the stairs, something – or more specifically – someone caught his attention. There was a tall blonde girl standing next to their table. Bucky was watching her carefully as they walked in that direction slowly. He noticed that someone had an arm wrapped around her waist and she was practically clinging to that person. She was laughing and smiling. She was good-looking, tall, looked great in her red dress. She turned her head to look at her partner and laughed again. As she threw her head back, Bucky finally got to see who had his arms wrapped around this blonde beauty. His heart sunk when he recognized that this man was nobody else but Steve Rogers.

James had no right to be upset or jealous. Steve and he didn't even flirt or anything. So why was he feeling this way? Maybe it was because the blonde man's smile was so bright when he was talking to this woman. Maybe because these two were holding each other tightly in a more-than-friendly way. Maybe it was because James was nothing like her – he was not a tall, blonde chic with such a beautiful smile. Steve laughed again and shook his head. He probably caught a glance of Brunhilde and Bucky then because he looked right at them with a smile. His girl turned around with a playful smirk on her pink lips. James smiled back at them as authentic as it was possible – hoping that Steve didn't figure out that Barnes was a terrible liar yet.

"Hey, look, who I've found!" Rogers said with excitement. "Sharon, this is my friend and neighbor – James. James, meet Sharon, my _ex-girlfriend_ and most importantly my friend. She came to New York on a business trip and didn't even say a word about it, can you believe it?" Rogers chuckled and looked at Sharon with obvious amazement in his eyes.

"Oh, come on, _Stevie_! I wanted to surprise you, I still remember how much you love surprises." The blonde woman completely ignored Bucky and instead she kept smiling at Steve. Watching these two smiling and looking at each other like nothing else mattered was making James sick. He quickly excused himself telling that he needed to use a bathroom and went there. Brunhilde nodded and went back to her seat but Rogers and Sharon didn't even notice. They were too busy with each other.

Barnes' steps were quick and heavy and the only thing on his mind was this one word. Ex-girlfriend. Sharon was romantically involved with Steve. And they parted on the good terms. They were still talking. She came to Iron Legion just to surprise him. They were so close… Did they still love each other? James shut the door behind him and leaned against the wall because his legs were trembling a little. He felt weak and had an impression that there was something stuck in his throat. He completely freaked out. Why? It's not like he had any right to feel like this. Steve could do whatever the hell he pleased and Bucky knew that but he couldn't help it – he still felt like shit because of it.

He had to splash some cold water on his face and slow down his breath before he got out of the bathroom. Maybe all these feelings were caused by alcohol in his blood? Yeah, probably. He had to sleep it off. Tomorrow he wouldn't even remember why Sharon's presence made him feel so uneasy. So he simply went back to their table. Sharon and Steve were nowhere to be found but Natasha and Clint were sitting on the sofa and discussing something. As soon as Bucky was close enough, they made some space for him to sit and Natasha patted the sofa impatiently. James sat down and looked at his friends who leaned towards him with worried looks on their faces.

"Have you seen Steve?" Natasha asked cautiously.

"You mean Steve AND Sharon? Yeah, I did."

"Are you okay, James?"

"Who the hell is she, anyway?" Clint grimaced and crossed his arms while Natasha took Bucky's hand and squeezed it. He inhaled deeply and pursed his lips before answering.

"Sharon is his ex who still remembers how fucking much Stevie loves surprises and her appearance here was one of them. Guess how delighted he was!" James' got a little angry again just talking about it, he couldn't help it. Natasha and Clint were looking at him shocked. Romanoff was the first one to snap out of it and she wrapped her arm around Bucky.

"Who the fuck acts like that with their ex? Like, they were basically giving each other heart-eyes."

"You're not helping, Clint. But yeah, I agree with the first one."

"But he's completely right, Tasha." James bit his lip and started playing with the hem of his shirt. "They were constantly looking and smiling at each other. And he was holding her in his arms. God, they looked so happy to be around each other."

"That's it. That's enough." Natasha said it with her angry voice and when Bucky looked at her, her cheeks were red and lips twisted in this distinctive grimace she had whenever she got upset. "I'm going to slap- No, I'll break their necks."

"Babe, don't. We don't want you to get arrested."

"It's no big deal, Tasha. It's not like I have any right to get angry at them." Barnes shrugged but he knew that it _was_ a big deal for him. And his friends knew it too because they know him so well.

"No, James, I'm serious. They can't make you feel like that and get away with it. Don't try to deny it because you obviously are feeling shitty, it's written all over your face."

"It's okay, hon. I mean, it's not so great for me. But I'm just Steve's neighbor after all." James shrugged again and smiled a little bit but it was this sad kind of smile. Both of his friends looked at him with compassion.

"Alright, alright. How about we get the hell out of here?" Clint proposed and got up before Nat and Bucky answered. But they agreed. It was a good idea.

So they got up, said goodbye to Brunhilde and Thor who were sitting at the table and chatting. It took them a few minutes to find Pepper and Tony because they couldn't leave without thanking them one more time and saying goodbye. They tried to pretend that they were still in a great mood but Stark and his wife noticed something was wrong anyway. Pepper asked James if he was okay and there was the honest concern in her voice and eyes. Barnes felt a little bad when he lied that they were just a little bit tired already but that's what he had to do. Tony assured Bucky and his friends that they were more than welcome to join them again whenever they wanted. They didn't even try to go and find Steve. No one even mentioned him when they were leaving. But no matter how hard he tried, Bucky just couldn't stop thinking about him.

 _C'mon, Barnes, you've no right to be jealous. You're only his neighbor after all._

 _Honestly, how bad it was? Let me know_ _Ilysm_


	9. The Old Men

**Welcome back!** **I've been gone for three months, I know, but that's exactly how long it took to write this chapter. I'm not joking. As I already mentioned last time, it's my senior year and I have a lot to worry about. I'm afraid I won't post anything until my exams (in May) are over or even longer than that - who knows, maybe I'll get a job somehow or will be too stressed about... everything.**

 **But for now - enjoy the brand new chapter of James Barnes having a huge crush and Steve Rogers!**

Bucky shouldn't be bothered by the events last night.

But he was. He was upset and it was a huge problem. James was sad, maybe a little bit angry and jealous. He had no right to feel this way.

So what if Steve was with a woman? He's a grown man, he could do whatever he pleased. It was perfectly fine and normal. If anything, Bucky should be happy for him – they were almost friends after all. But no, his childish crush on Steve had to get in the way! Maybe it would be bearable if it made him sad for an hour or two. But whole night?! James had spent the whole night – well, at least the rest of it after he got back from the club – overreacting and pitying himself. Pretty pathetic, right?

Bucky didn't even try to get some sleep. He got home, changed into something more comfortable and spent the next few hours in the kitchen. He made way too much food but it wasn't a problem. He would give most of it to Natasha and Clint. Quill wouldn't complain if Bucky brought him something too. Maybe he could even share with Steve- No, terrible idea. Rogers would probably ask why, the hell, did Bucky cook that much. Then he would have to explain that it was his coping mechanism. And it would lead to yet another question – why was he sad in the first place? Bucky wished he understood the reason behind it.

James Buchanan Barnes knew Steve Rogers for a week or something like that. Even if Bucky had a tendency to get attached to people quickly, these few days were not enough to catch any feelings, right? He could understand having a crush on this guy – Steve was gorgeous, beautiful inside and out. But it was no excuse for his jealousy. He had felt something like a needle prick whenever he thought about Sharon and Steve together. It shouldn't be like that. She was Steve's ex and his good friend apparently, while James was his neighbor. She was tall, blonde, extroverted and had a beautiful smile. He was nothing like her. Well, he was tall but his hair was dark, he was quite introverted and his smile was rather awkward. Barnes shouldn't even compare himself to her, it was unfair and dumb. It wasn't a competition after all – at least not for Bucky because he never stood a cha-

Goddammit! It was not a competition, Steve was not some prize to win.

But back to James' unreasonable despair… Bucky was almost 29, he had enough time to learn how to deal with emotions. But he still got into this whole Brokenhearted Teenager Mode. And not that teenagers had no right to be brokenhearted. The thing was that James was a grown-ass man but didn't seem to act like one. Having a crush on the stranger, being nervous around him, getting jealous because of his ex… Yeah, it definitely didn't sound like a description of an adult's feelings. But his heart was telling him that it was completely natural. He tried to reason with it, he really did but it was pointless. Trying to get over Steve was only resulting in Bucky thinking about him even more. Finding a good distraction would be a great solution. But these thoughts had been his distraction so far and it was not good.

"Mr. Barnes!" Bucky snapped out of his thoughtfulness when his name was called. He turned around to look at the girl who called him with disapproval.

"Jesus, Shuri, I told you to call me by my name or nickname."

"I tried but you were too lost in your thoughts to hear me." The teenager looked at him with a smug smile on her face. "What were you thinking about?" Shuri asked and crossed her arms waiting for his answer. Bucky just rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.

"I'm thinking about you playing Chopin's Nocturne op.9 No.2."

"I played it two times, like, five minutes ago. But I guess you were too busy and forgot to listen."

"Play it again, it won't hurt you, Shuri. Remember, practice…"

"Practice makes perfect. Yeah, how could I ever forget? You keep saying this, old man." James laughed as he walked towards the kitchen. Shuri started to play the piano again and soft music filled his apartment. He focused on it and didn't drift off this time. Shuri looked nonchalant, almost bored but still focused. Meanwhile, Bucky opened the fridge and took one of the many dishes out. He put it on the counter and started to wrap it in aluminum foil. James looked at the clock and walked back to the living room just in time for the end of the Nocturne.

"Hope you paid attention this time because I'm not playing this again." Shuri sighed dramatically and took a more comfortable posture.

"I did. It wasn't that bad." Barnes shrugged. It evoked another loud sigh from the teenager. She wouldn't be herself if she didn't continue their little banter.

"Not that bad? Oh, please, I'm starting to think that you're deaf." She stood up and crossed her arms, playful smile on her face. Bucky snorted and shook his head. "Any homework?"

"Technically, none. But remember to play Nocturne few more times, okay?" He reminded her and she nodded obediently. James smiled and extended his hands with the dish toward Shuri. "I hope you like lasagna because I've made enough food to feed an army last night. It shouldn't go to waste, right?"

"Oh, come on, you know how much I love your lasagna!" Bucky laughed at her words and handed over the dish.

After Shuri left James spent some time wandering around his place. He couldn't find himself a place. Sitting down and looking through some stuff on his phone felt like such a waste of time. He couldn't focus enough to play the piano. He tried to tidy his room but he had already done it last night. Bucky found reading a book useless too so he ended up just strolling from kitchen to bathroom, from bathroom to living room, from living room to bedroom and then again to the kitchen. Such a waste of time, really, but no activity felt right.

It's safe to say that James was pretty surprised when he suddenly got an idea. Not surprised by having an idea in general but by what it was. He was walking past the living room window and decided to take a look at what was going on in the street. Few cars drove by, people were walking fast past the building, an old lady living next door took her annoying dog for a walk, a runner…

Bingo!

James needed to go for a run. Realizing it was pretty funny because he hasn't done it for four years or something like that. He still had his running shoes in the closet. The weather seemed pleasant so why not? Maybe it would clear his mind. God, he hoped so. As soon as he made a decision, he went to found his shoes, some sweatpants, and a loose shirt. In the meantime, he managed to make a new playlist on his phone and untangle headphones' wires. The fact that they were still working was a freaking miracle because these headphones went through a lot. He put them in the washing machine with his pants at least three times, lost and found them in some really weird places – in the fridge was officially the weirdest one. He plugged in his immortal headphones to his phone on turned on the music. James left his place, locked the door and decided to head towards the park.

He wasn't wrong about the weather. A warm wind was hitting his face and playing with his hair as he was running down the street towards the park. It felt good, it was the first thing since yesterday that actually felt really good. After a while he started to feel more relaxed, his mind was slowly getting clean. He tried to focus on running and music. Okay, mostly on music and of course, it had to end up badly.

About forty minutes or so into his run Bucky got so caught up in the music that he had almost started to sing along a few times. It did, in fact, help him clear his mind and he was ready to head home. And the last song on his playlist was coming to an end so it was definitely about time he headed home. Bucky couldn't run home in silence, obviously, so he took his phone out of the pocket and started looking through his others playlist. Stopping for a minute would be a good idea probably. But James Buchanan Barnes sometimes was irresponsible. Plus he tends to forget that he's not exactly a lucky guy. So he kept running and looking at his phone, didn't pay any attention to his surroundings.

Well, he didn't unless he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. But it was too late already. Bucky didn't even have enough time to warn the person that got into his way. He literally ran into that person. And it felt like hitting a wall. Bucky managed to keep his balance after the collision but took a few steps back. He looked up at the same time as his victim turned around to face him.

"Oh fuck, are you okay- James?"

Yep. That's it. If there was a God, he loved to play with Bucky because there he was, looking in shock into these incredibly beautiful, blue eyes – Steve's eyes.

"Um, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." Barnes managed to stammer it out just because he looked away. He could feel his face getting all warm and red – luckily, this time he could just pretend that it was a result of jogging. And as if it wasn't embarrassing enough, Steve chuckled and Bucky blushed even more.

"Hey, you're not the only one to blame here. I didn't see you either." The blonde man shrugged with this bright smile on his lovely face. Damn, he was so easy-going all the time! He was making it so easy to adore him. This smile, this soft voice, his kindness – everything about him was too damn perfect. "We gotta stop meeting like this. Wouldn't want you to get hurt one day." Did he just- he's so precious, what the hell.

"Yeah, same goes for you." James smiled even though he started to regret his words immediately. It came out wrong.

"Well, I'm glad we're both okay, I think. Are you okay?" Steve's smile turned into a serious face full of concern. It was Bucky's turn to chuckle because it was so cute, he just couldn't help it.

"I'm good, Stevie-" Wait, what the actual fuck? "-Steve. Sorry, don't know where this one came from." James tried to keep smiling even though he just wanted to die. Oh Lord, what a disaster! Really? Stevie?! What was he even thinking?

"Nah, it's fine. I like it, you can keep calling me Stevie if you want to." Okay, Bucky would be lying if he said that he his heart didn't melt at these words. Rogers liked it when James had called him Stevie. He liked it! Bucky's heart fluttered and his smile got as wide and bright as Steve's ones.

Get your shit together, Barnes. It's not like he said it in a flirtatious way so calm down. He barely managed to get Steve out of his mind a few minutes ago and now it was back. But he tried to keep his mind clear, he did! And maybe – just maybe – he wasn't failing miserably this time.

"So, I had no idea you were a runner. We could go for a run together sometime if you'd like." Steve proposed and he sounded almost shy. He turned from this confident, easy-going guy to the shyer and even cuter version of himself in a split second.

"I'm not really a runner. It's my first time in two years, actually." James chuckled nervously. Well, he sounded so pathetic. He just told Steve – hot guy who was probably running every single day – that he's not used to going for a run. Rogers furrowed his brows in confusion. He was probably thinking about how lazy Barnes was. He was lazy but not that much so he decided to defend himself before Steve got a chance to say anything. "I'm going to the gym one or two times a week. But I felt like running today."

"Once or twice? Oh, come on!" Rogers laughed and shook his head. Oh great, what now? "That's the price you pay for a body like this? You gotta be kidding, James."

Okay, Barnes just got confused as shit. Only half a minute ago he had been embarrassed because running wasn't his thing. Then he had been so sure that Steve – this incredibly sweet man – was laughing at him. But Rogers decided to… compliment him? That was weird. And so sweet, too. Okay, maybe even flirty a little. Or not. Complimenting other men's muscles and bodies was pretty normal, NOT gay at all.

Bucky sighed and smiled a little because no matter how weird this conversation was getting, he had to keep it together.

"I mean, I used to go to the gym more often in the past but now it's enough if I go there once a week." He explained and shrugged. Steve's reaction was actually kind of funny this time. Ladies and gentlemen, this grown-up man started fake-crying and continued to do so for a minute or so. Steve Rogers – the human form of a fluffy ball of sweetness and hotness, everybody.

"That's so unfair!" The blonde man exclaimed and Bucky actually laughed this time. He blushed, too but considering how often it was happening lately, he simply started to ignore it. Steve's perfect smile came back and Bucky was sure that it was even brighter than usual. "Just tell me that you don't even have to be careful what you eat and I might actually cry, for real this time."

"I better stay quiet, then."

"You know what, Buck-" Rogers started and pretended to be offended but he got interrupted by a cheerful voice coming from their left.

"Catch me if you can, Grandpa!" They both looked that way just in time to notice tiny girl running towards Steve, holding her hands out.

The little girl got to him in a split second. James didn't even blink, he didn't have time to react but Steve… Steve simply leaned forward, picked her up and spun around with her in his arms. Kid giggled and wrapped her hands around Steve's neck. Okay, that was cute as fuck.

"Cassie, Princess, we've talked about using this nickname in public." Steve rebuked her, kind of – he was still smiling at her and his voice was soft. Kid – Cassie giggled in response. James was watching these two and his heart was slowly melting. As if Rogers wasn't already the cutest, Steve interacting with a kid was even cuter. Finally after few seconds – not that Bucky minded – the blonde man turned his head towards James and smiled at him as well. "Cassie, meet James. James, meet Cassie – my goddaughter."

"Nice to meet you, Sir." The little girl said kindly and Barnes just looked at her in awe. She was so goddamn cute!

"The pleasure is all mine, Cassie. And please, call me Bucky, not Sir." James smiled at her and she returned the gesture immediately.

"As you can see, I'm babysitting today. Luckily, she's a little less of a troublemaker than her dad, Scott so I'm doing great. Right, Cassie?" Steve said jokingly his goddaughter giggled.

"You lost me in the supermarket last week, Grandpa. You're doing barely okay." James laughed at her response because, C'mon, this kid just ended Steve. It was so adorably funny. Plus, Steve's face when she said it – priceless.

"That was harsh, Princess. You're spending way too much time with uncle Tony. And stop calling me Grandpa, you're embarrassing me."

"I'm sorry for asking but what's up with the nickname?" James asked out of curiosity.

"It's okay, I understand your confusion. Actually, Tony started it-"

"Tony says Steve is secretly eighty years old. But daddy and I think it may be actually closer to one hundred." Cassie interrupted Steve and Bucky was glad she did. Rogers couldn't have put it words any better. James thought it was funny even though he had no clue why they thought Steve was an old man. Well, he wasn't grumpy, was in a great shape… Whatever, it was still funny.

"See? My own friends are making fun of me. I need new friends." Steve sighed dramatically and Bucky laughed. And this comment gave Bucky the idea, a great one actually – or so he thought.

"Talking 'bout friends. Some of my friends are coming over to my place on Friday. It's nothing fancy, not even a party but you should come and bring your friends along. If they- If you want to, of course."

"Sure, I'm gonna check if they're free. But I'll be there for sure." Steve said – well, practically promised – and nodded in confirmation. Bucky tried to hide his excitement but it was hard. Steve said he would be there without hesitation. His heart fluttered and he had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from grinning like Cheshire cat.

"Cool. I told everyone to come around 8 pm but you can come whenever you'd like to."

"Can I come, too?" Cassie cut in – Bucky almost forgot about her, he was too focused on Steve accepting his invitation – in a begging voice.

"Your bedtime is at 8 pm, young lady. You're staying home." Steve said using his serious voice and Cassie sighed. She turned towards Bucky with a knowing look on her face.

"See? Told you he's secretly eighty years old."

 **Usual question - how was it?**

 **Hope you can spare a minute or two and comment your opinion, It'd make me super happy c:**

 **Can you believe that there's only ONE MONTH until Captain Marvel?! I'm so excited!**

 **And Endgame - arghhh! It comes out right before my exams and I won't be able to take them in peace without watching The Avengers first. But if I watch Avengers I will be so dead inside and my mind will be destroyed. Guess I'll see the movie before exams anyway!**

 **Hope you and your friends will be able to watch these movies as soon as possible and hope we'll all enjoy it!**

 **Love,** rainbowsteeb


	10. Straight from my heart

**Hi, guys!**  
 **Sooo... Five months, huh? I know I was gone for way too long and I know I promised to come back right after graduating from high school, in May. But here I am, it's July but hey, I have a new chapter! It's messy af but it's long and I kinda enjoy it, idkw.**

 **Anyway, please, read a note under the chapter as well - I would like to say a few more things.**  
 **Now, buckle up and get ready for the longest chapter about Bucky and his friends (his cute neighbor Steve is there' too) - it's Bucky's B-day!**

"He's not going to come, I'm telling you. Why would he? He probably thinks I'm boring so why would he want to come to my party? God, it's not even a party, I'm so pathe-"

"Pathetic. Yeah, yeah, we know. We've heard it at least fifty times already. Just stop freaking out, you moron." Clint rolled his eyes and finished his beer. He looked around the room before his eyes landed on Bucky again just to see him staring at Clint in disappointment. "What?"

"You don't understand, Clint. Of course, you don't get it." James sighed and looked away with his sad puppy expression. It made Clint feel bad about what he told a minute ago but only a little bit bad. He meant well after all and that's what matters, right? He just wanted his best friend to spend his birthday smiling and having fun, not worrying.

It was on Friday. It was the day of Bucky's little house party and also his birthday. All of his friends came and seemed to be having fun so far. James should be happy and satisfied but instead, he was tense and freaking out. What made him feel this way? The answer was simple. He invited Steve – and told him to bring his friends if he wants to – to his little party and Rogers immediately promised he would come. Obviously, he didn't tell him it's his birthday. He didn't want him to feel obliged to bring him a gift, no. But Steve promised to come and didn't text Bucky or anything to tell him that plans had changed. They met a few times but never had time to talk even for a few minutes. So obviously Bucky was still hoping to see him today. Just looking at the clock was making him feel sad. Yes, his friends had come earlier than Bucky told them to but it was expectable. There was still a little bit of hope left in him that Steve would just be a little bit late. But Bucky was not the person to hold onto his hopes for too long. It was already half past 8 pm and no sign of Steve. Yeah, being ditched by your crush – even if they have no idea about it – on your birthday sucks. And that's why Bucky just couldn't force himself to go and have fun with all his friends.

"Hey, Barnes. Don't think too much or your brain will get overheated." James blinked a few times trying to go back to reality. There was Daisy standing in front of him with this sweet and – at the same time – mischievous smile of hers, holding a bottle of beer in one hand and holding her fiancé's hand in the other. "No, but seriously, are you okay? Cause you seem a little off." Daisy asked and she went from her Mocking Mode to the Caring Mode immediately.

"I'm great, why wouldn't I be?" James even managed to smile but it probably was the least convincing smile in the whole galaxy.

"Bucky, you've been drinking this beer since we got here. That's super weird. It probably doesn't even taste like beer anymore, more like pee or something." Johnson scrunched her nose to show her disgust just from thinking about it.

"Gotta agree on that one. Should I bring you another beer?" Daisy's fiancée, Grant offered kindly and nodded towards the refrigerator.

"Nah, there's no need to. I'm not in a beer-mood anyway. But thanks for offering." Bucky smiled and put down the half-empty bottle on the shelf. That super mischievous smile appeared on Johnson's face again.

"Is that because you're officially getting old, isn't it? You're not in your twenties anymore."

"Who's getting old?" Quill's head popped up all of sudden between Daisy and Grant startling everyone.

"Jesus" Clint murmured under his breath and put his hand on his heart for a dramatic effect.

"I'm not Jesus, just your beloved Peter Quill, thank you very much." Peter bowed down with a grin on his face. "So? Who is getting old, guys?"

"It's James' birthday. Go ahead and take a guess, you moron." His girlfriend and soon-to-be-fiancée called out from the couch where she was sitting comfortably, sipping on her drink. She had the same grim face expression as usually which had some kind of charm to it.

"Aw, love you too, Sweetie." Peter answered in the sweetest voice Bucky had ever heard, probably to annoy her a little bit more. It worked actually and provided him with a death glare from Gamora. He turned to the rest of his friends again and smiled proudly. "Isn't she the loveliest?"

"What did you do to get her so angry so early?" James asked, still looking at Mora as if he was expecting her to kill everybody any moment. Well, he didn't even think about her doing it, actually. He had known her for a few years now and was accustomed to her grim personality. But she was a very lovely person, in fact.

"Asked her to dance before she even finished her first drink." Quill shrugged, an easy-going smile on his face this whole time while nodding his head to the rhythm of the music playing in the background. "Oh, and by the way, you're not getting old, Bucky. I think you're just getting better with age like a fine wine, you know."

"Thank you, Quill. See? That's called being nice. You could all learn a lot from Peter." James said pointing his finger at Clint and Daisy. They rolled their eyes in sync.

"Wouldn't want to burst your bubble but he's nice just because you're always letting him choose the music. And that's called corruption." Said Clint being smartass like always. Bucky was ready to reply him, he had already squinted his eyes at Barton but the sound of the doorbell interrupted their friendly bickering. James' heart stopped for a while and then started to pump his blood so quickly and so loudly that Bucky was always sure everybody in the room could hear it.

"Uh-oh, there he is, our Bucky, looking like a kid on the Christmas morning."

"I hate every single one of you." Barnes snapped back while already going towards the door. He had barely heard a bunch of 'I love you's from his friends in response, he was so focused on the door. James took a really deep breath before opening the door.

Please, don't be Girl Scout selling cookies. Please, don't be Girl Scout. Not that he didn't like these cookies. He loved them but at that moment he was expecting something – or someone, actually – that was far from Girl Scouts and their cookies. Bucky grabbed the handle firmly and opened the door with the brightest smile who could do considered how nervous he was. And... Oh well, his face fell immediately. It was neither Girl Scout nor Steve Rogers.

"You know, you could've at least pretended to be happy to see us, Brahms." Tony Stark said with a completely straight face. Bucky blushed a little ashamed of himself.

"I'm so sorry, I AM happy. I'm just a little surprised, that's all." He said and smiled at Pepper and Tony.

"Don't worry, he was just joking, right Tony?" Pepper looked at her husband as if she was trying to discipline him. Well, it kind of worked cause he smirked a little. "Besides, I bet you were expecting Steve to show up, weren't you? He's gonna be there in a few minutes, I promise. We've just got a text from him."

"That's great, thanks for the info. Come in. It's nothing fancy, just a couple friends, a little bit of alcohol, food, and music but I hope you will have a good time anyway." Bucky opened the door widely so the couple could come in.

"I'm sure we will-"

"Yeah, Brahms. Your birthday party saved us from another boring business party. It's way, way better than this wake we were about to attend." Tony cut in and rolled his eyes. Hold on a sec, did he just said "birthday party"?

"But it's not my birth-" Bucky tried to deny, even if Tony was right, but Stark cut in once more.

"Yes, it is, Bucky. So happy birthday, kid!" The man pulled out a little box from behind his back and handed it to Buck who was so shocked that he took it, still looking at Pepper and Tony with disbelief. How the hell did they know? "Come on, just open it already." The billionaire encouraged him and nodded at the box. It was a simple black box with a red ribbon wrapped around it and a neat bow on the top. Bucky was still speechless but managed to untie the bow and take the lid off. And he almost went breathless after seeing what's inside. It was a silver watch, a fucking silver Rolex!

"I- I can't accept it." James managed to mumble. He quickly put the lid on again and handed it to Tony.

"You don't like it? We can get you another model. Or maybe you prefer golden watches, this could be arranged too." Tony offered as if he was talking about a five-dollars watch, not Rolex.

"No, neither model nor color is the problem. But the price is. It's too expensive and I cannot accept it." Bucky insisted. This watch was probably the most expensive thing he had ever held in his hands. He just couldn't accept it as a gift from a person who's only meeting him for the second time ever. No matter how rich that person was, it was still a no-no.

"Oh, get over it, Barnes! Just take it, it's your big day. It's not like I spent my whole paycheck on it, anyway." Tony basically threw the box at Bucky and patted his shoulder, already walking away. "Hey, Natasha! I figured it out! You're a ballerina and ballet teacher, am I right?" Stark exclaimed. Bucky had no choice but to look at Pepper, hoping she would take that freaking watch back. It costed more than what Bucky would earn in two months working both in the restaurant and as a piano teacher for god's sake!

"Don't worry, that's just the way Tony is. Generous, way too generous from time to time. But he meant well. You're still lucky the invitation was a last-minute. Otherwise Tony would've bought you a yacht or something like that." Pepper joked and laughed quietly. "But please, accept it." She added with an angelic smile on her face. What the hell, how was Bucky supposed to refuse her? He could not.

"Uh, okay, thank you. I'm eternally grateful for it, it's awesome." James finally admitted and peeked inside the box with a little smile. "BUT if you ever need a pianist or a piano teacher, I'm doing this for free for the rest of my life, understood?"

"You got it, James." Pepper agreed with a quiet chuckle and hugged Bucky. "Happy birthday again, James. Now excuse me, I gotta get to Tony before he puts his hands on vodka." She pulled away and went after her husband who was already discussing something with Tasha and Clint. Bucky walked towards his bedroom to put away the gift from Stark. As soon as he walked back into the living room, he was practically attacked by emotionally charged Bruce.

"Why, the hell, didn't you tell me?"

"Told you what exactly?"

"That Mr. Tony Stark is coming to your B-day party! And that you know him and his wife at all!" Bruce was both extremely excited and nervous. Bucky could see his hands shaking a little, his eyes were big and his face was getting a little bit red.

"Actually we've met for the second time today. And I had no idea they would be coming. Steve invited them cause I told him to bring some friends along with him." Bucky shrugged.

"Wha- And who the hell is Steve that he's friends with a freaking Stark?" Bruce's eyes almost popped out. James couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

"Come on, let me introduce you." Bucky offered and if it wasn't for him pushing Banner just a little bit, he wouldn't have moved at all. "Hey, Pepper, Tony, this is my friend-"

"Doctor Banner, bioscience genius himself! It's a pleasure to meet you, I admire your work." Tony cut in and walked towards Bruce with his hand already held out to introduce himself, although he did not have to cause everyone knows the famous Tony Stark.

"He-knows-my-name" Banner managed to stammer out to Bucky quietly before taking Stark's hand and shaking it. James laughed and walked over to Nat and Clint.

"What exactly did Tony figure out?" He asked, furrowing his brows.

"Oh, my nickname. Took him some time but it finally got to him that I'm a ballerina so from now on, call me Black Swan." Tasha rolled her eyes, obviously amused by this.

"And Natasha, being the best girlfriend in the world – yes, I'm being sarcastic – decided to tell him about my archery thing."

"Let me guess. Legolas?" Bucky laughed as Clint nodded his head. He didn't enjoy his conversation with these two for too long because the doorbell rang once again. "This gotta be Steve." Bucky breathed out and practically ran towards the door.

This time he wasn't wrong. There he was, just standing there and looking as beautiful as ever with that bright smile on his gorgeous face. Just the sight of him made Bucky's smile so wide that it was almost painful.

"Steve, you made it!"

"Of course I did. I've made a promise after all." Rogers shrugged but not in an ignorant way, more like a not-a-big-deal way. "Besides, I could never miss my favorite neighbor's birthday party." The blonde man added and held up a quite big but quite thin rectangular box. Seriously, Steve brought a gift too?

"I've never told it was my birthday party. Have no idea where this came from." Bucky tried to deny it one more time and it didn't work, probably since Steve laughed.

"Such a terrible liar, that's cute." Rogers shook his head, slightly amused and simply hugged James with his free hand. "Happy Birthday, Buck. And don't even try refusing to accept my gift, I warn you." Oh. God. Steve Rogers hugged him just after he told him he was cute. Steve hugged Bucky and held him for at least a few secs. Obviously, James was way too shocked to hug him back immediately. But it felt so nice. It felt safe, it felt almost familiar. Bucky had almost got light-headed but somehow managed to get his shit together and return the hug.

"Thanks, Stevie. Glad you came." Barnes said as they pulled away. Steve smiled at him and flicked his eyes at the box he was holding. It was wrapped in the nice silver wrapping paper and had a deep-blue ribbon on it. Bucky sighed but took it from him. He couldn't take the risk and try to reason with Steve, he wanted him to stay way too damn much. "Come in, join the rest. And thanks for coming once again."

About four hours into the party and something felt... off. Quill was having a blast, dancing with Gamora to his favorites hits from the '80s and '90s. Daisy was having a quite enthusiastic conversation with Bruce and Tony about some new techs and stuff like that. Meanwhile, Pepper and Natasha were talking quietly on the sofa, chuckling from time to time. And Steve was talking with Clint and Grant about... Well, he wasn't exactly talking with them, not even listening, to be honest. He was just standing there, looking around from time to time. That's the thing that felt so wrong – Bucky was nowhere to be seen and it was making Steve a little bit concerned since it was his birthday party and he seemed to be having fun the last time Steve had seen him. He just disappeared so suddenly and was gone for a while.

"Bucky is in his room if you're looking for him. I've seen him going there some time ago." Steve looked at the tall brunette a little confused. Did he say anything subconsciously or was Grant a mind-reader? "I mean, you're looking for him, right? Cause you just keep looking around and since everybody else is in this room, I thought..."

"Yes, he did, Ward. You just caught him off guard, right Steve?" Clint cut in, trying not to laugh and failing miserably. Rogers nodded his head since these two had already known what was going on. "Go on, go to him, then. It's that room, over there." Barton pointed at one of the doors. Steve mumbled quick 'thanks' and was already going towards that door. He knocked and since music was playing quite loudly, he simply came in.

"James? You there?" Steve asked cautiously, looking around. The bedroom was neat, mostly in grey and white with a few colorful accents. Bucky's head popped up from behind the bed with a surprised look on his face. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, Clint told me I could find you here. But I can leave if you need a moment alone." Steve said quickly and was ready to leave when James smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine. You can join me here if you want to." Bucky offered. Steve took a few steps towards him and noticed that Bucky was sitting on the floor between his bed and the window.

"You sure? Are you okay?" Steve asked but sat down next to Bucky anyway. James chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm great. Just a little... Overwhelmed." The brunette explained and shrugged.

"By what exactly?"

"All of this. First of all, I did not tell you it's my birthday but you figured it out, anyway. Which makes me wonder, are you obsessed with me, Rogers?" Barnes managed to joke a little with a smirk on his face. Steve laughed and shook his head.

"I have my sources, that's all." The blonde man said, trying to make the most serious face expression he could. He ended up grinning anyway, but at least he tried. Bucky raised his eyebrow and Steve sighed. "Okay, I might have stalked you on Facebook a little bit. And I really like that long hair you used to have." James laughed and blushed, kinda embarrassed. First of all, Steve was stalking him on social media, that's a good sign, right? Unless he's some kind of psycho, then it's not good. But Steve could never be evil, right? And secondly, he saw his old photos, that's not good.

"Please, forget about these photos. I should've deleted them after getting a haircut, my mistake."

"No, I mean it. You looked great. Not that you look bad in your short hair, obviously. But it was different and nice, too." Steve assured him.

"I liked them too if I have to be honest. It was Tasha's idea that I should let my hair grow while we were in Russia just to try something new but I guess I enjoyed it." James confessed and ran his fingers through his way shorter hair.

"Russia, huh? Can I ask what were you doing there?"

"Oh no, Stevie. Stop changing the subject." Bucky shook his head and chuckled. "Back to you stalking me. You should've kept that info for yourself, you know."

"Let me guess. Tony gave you something super fancy, didn't he? Ah, typical Tony Stark. Doesn't know what 'keep it low-key' means and never will. He actually promised me not to overdo but I guess he did, anyway."

"He gave me a fucking Rolex, Steve. That's insane!" James threw his hands up, making sure not to hit Steve. He wouldn't want that, not at all.

"Believe it or not, he did keep it low-key... Kind of, in his own, billionaire way."

"I don't know if this was supposed to make me feel better but it didn't."

"Come on, James. Last year he almost bought my apartment so I wouldn't have to pay for my rent anymore. I refused and he seemed to surrender but ended up paying my rent two years in advanced." Barnes' eyes got wider and wider with every word. And Rogers was acting as if it wasn't a big deal. What if he was secretly a billionaire, too? "That's just the way he is and you gotta let him spoil you if he wants to. He's really generous, I know. Pepper and I try to reason with him a lot but in the end, he always does as he pleases. And when it comes to buying gifts for people he likes and cares about, there's no such a thing as 'too expensive' for him. Tony loves giving gifts, trust me. Which actually reminds me about something."

"What? He bought you a yacht and you forgot about it?" James asked with a smirk. Steve was probably right since Tony was his best friend and he knew him well so what was the point of resisting?

"Very funny, but no. It reminds me I brought you something too. Have you opened it already?" Steve asked and the brunette shook his head in response. "How about you do it now? It's not that fancy as the one from Tony, but it's straight from my heart, I swear. And I, uh, wanted to see if you like it or not." Rogers scratched his neck, a little embarrassed. He didn't have to tell Bucky twice. He immediately got up and went towards the dresser on top of which he put the gift from Steve. The blonde man got up too so he could watch James opening it.

Inside was a frame. Well, of course, Bucky had opened it upside down but just this frame was enough to make Bucky's heart beat faster. Or it was just a fact that it was something from Steve, from the bottom of his heart. James put away all the ribbons and wrapping paper and turned the frame. What was on the other side was nothing he would ever expect it to be. It was a drawing but not just any drawing. It was incredibly detailed, drawn with pencils. And if it wasn't enough, it was that one specific drawing he had already seen. Heck, he had even seen the place depicted on the paper and he knew exactly when was this drawn. The fountain, trees, and benches around it. It was that one drawing, Steve was working on the first time Bucky had seen him in the park. It was that one drawing, Bucky loved so much when looking through Steve's sketchbooks.

"Do you- Is it okay? I know it's not much but I thought... I mean, you seemed to like-" Bucky cut in even though he didn't say anything. He simply smiled because he was so speechless, put down the drawing on his bed cautiously.

And just because he was so speechless, not for any other reasons, James hugged Steve tightly who – unlike Bucky earlier – immediately Steve, unlike James before, hugged him back immediately with a little chuckle.

"So you like it?" The blonde man asked, a little less shy, now that he had seen Bucky smiling widely.

"I love it, Stevie. You're the best, you know this, right?"

"Yeah, I've heard it a few times before." Rogers replied amused. Everything was so great, the gift was great, Steve was great. "Glad you liked it. Happy birthday, Buck." The blonde man said quietly and rubbed James' back. And just as he said it, Bucky became very aware of Steve's closeness. His warm breath hit Buck's neck and it made him shiver. He hardly stopped himself from taking a sharp breath because it would be way too obvious. Instead, he patted Steve's shoulder lightly and slowly started pulling away. Holding him felt so right, yet so wrong. It felt good and safe but at the same time, Bucky knew it would make him fall even harder. He was already way too deep for his own good, he just couldn't let himself do this. So he pulled away, put the smile on and took a step back.

"Seriously, thanks for giving me one of your drawings. You even remember which one I liked the most."

"Bucky, seriously, I'm so happy you enjoyed it. It was the only thing that came up to my mind so-" Steve stopped talking when his phone started ringing. He took out his phone out of his pocket and took a look at the screen. He furrowed his eyebrows and his smile changed into serious face expression. Then he looked back at Bucky apologetically. "I'm sorry, gotta take this."

"Of course, I could even leave you here alone, it's quieter here." James offered. Steve's face expression was telling him it was something serious not just a random phone call.

"No, it's fine. I can take this out there." Steve nodded his head towards the door and started walking this way. The phone stopped ringing for a few seconds and then started once again. "You remember Sharon, right? She would never call me that late, especially if she knew I had plans so it could be serious. Sorry, James." Rogers explained with that sincerely apologetic look on his face. Bucky nodded and smiled a little, even though he didn't feel like doing so. He understood why Steve had to answer this call, he really did. But a huge part of him was still disappointed. And that part of him hated that Steve was leaving him for Sharon. But it could actually be an emergency, he should never blame her for anything. It's not like she knew Bucky had a crush on Steve and was doing it on purpose or anything like that. And even if she did know that — it wouldn't even matter since Rogers didn't feel the same way.

But still, as Steve had walked away and closed the door behind him, Bucky lied down on his bed and closed his eyes, feeling as if part of him had left with Steve.

 **So now that you're done with reading:**  
 **1) FOR THOSE WHO STILL BLAME QUILL FOR THE INFINITY WAR OUTCOME**  
 **First of all, why? But it's not what I meant to say. If you don't like him, that's fine. But I love him and I love Gamora and I really wanted these two to be in my story, happy and alive. Personally, I don't think Peter Q did anything wrong in IW, I love him all the same. But if you don't feel the same - that's fine too. Although he will appear in His Masterpiece a few more times, I think but it's not MCU Peter Q, it's Peter Q from His Masterpiece so how about giving him a chance?**  
 **(wow, now I feel stupid because I think that maybe no one here dislikes him and I just wrote it for no reason :') )**

 **2) FOR THOSE WHO WATCHED AGENTS OF SHIELD AND KNOW DAISY AND GRANT - SPOILER ALERT**  
 **If you've seen AoS - congrats, you have a great taste. But there's the thing: I KNOW that Grant Ward was an antagonist, did many terrible things, almost killed many people, he was a liar and stuff like that. But honestly, hate me if you feel like, I think that somewhere deep inside his soul, he was a good person and he really cared for Daisy. I'm a Skyeward shipper, fight me. No, but seriously, I'm aware of all these bad things. But I'm still hoping that he was just brainwashed by Garrett. Remember season 4, Framework and stuff? Where AIDA deleted everybody's biggest regret? And look, Grant was loyal SHIELD Agent and loved Skye (Daisy) more than anything or anyone else. Okay, I'm not gonna write an essay about Grant Ward but I hope you don't hate me for including him in the story.**

 **3) SORRY for this super messy chapter. I know it's not the best but I tried, I swear.**

 **4) But I would still love to know what you think about it. Let me know in the comments. You hated it - tell me what exactly so I can avoid the same mistake next time. You liked it - tell me why. You hate me after this chapter - I'm sorry, let me know why.**

 **5) And sorry for saying this - I have no clue how long writing next chapter might take me. It won't be dynamic (and I refer to write about dynamics between characters but well)**

 **6) I love y'all! See you next time c:**


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